Lamb prices are unchanged this week, with base quotes ranging from €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg plus the respective quality assurance bonuses.

Individual sellers handling small numbers and possessing less negotiating power are trading in the region of €6.50/kg, while producers selling through groups or possessing greater selling power are achieving returns of €6.60/kg to €6.65/kg.

Top prices are rising to €6.70/kg and higher in cases where conformation bonuses or allowances on transport are factored in.

The trade for the year is drawing to a close with prices running 50c/kg to 70c/kg behind December 2021 levels. This equates to €11 to €15/head on a 22kg carcase.

When significantly higher finishing costs are taken into account, it is no wonder that finishers are downbeat.

The challenging trade relative to 2021 is also overshadowing a positive period of trading from April through to August. This is underpinning average prices of €6.83/kg reported by Bord Bia running 15c/kg higher than in 2021.

Sheep kill

Last week’s kill of 62,957 head was about 500 higher than the previous week and 2,450 higher than the corresponding week in 2021. The kill included 6,986 ewes and rams.

Quotes are unchanged in the main and are reported as ranging from €3.10/kg to €3.20/kg.

The exception to this is Kildare Chilling, which is not quoting, while prices at the top of the market for top-quality ewes delivered to a tight specification continue to range from €3.40/kg to €3.60/kg.

Northern Ireland

The trade in Northern Ireland is solid, with quotes firming by 5p/kg. Base quotes are £5.35/kg and at Wednesday afternoon’s weaker exchange rate of 87.6p to the euro, this equates to €6.10/kg.

Regular sellers and specialist finishers continue to secure 10p/kg above base quotes, with top prices rising to £5.45/kg to £5.50/kg (€6.22/kg to €6.28/kg).

The trade in Britain came under pressure last week, with the AHDB reporting average prices of £5.40/kg, but has since rebounded to in the region of £5.50/kg on average.

Last week’s sheep kill in Northern Ireland was recorded at 10,816 hoggets and 623 ewes and rams. This is a reduction of about 400 head on the previous week, with throughput for 2022 likely to end the year similar to 2021. The number of sheep exported south last week for direct slaughter, at 5,757 head, was about 1,000 lower week on week.

Processing schedule

The fact that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are falling on the weekend is minimising disruption, with most plants only closed for two days on Monday 26 December and Tuesday 27 December.

Producers aiming to draft lambs next week should make contact with procurement agents in good time, with plans being put in place this week to line up the majority of sheep required next week.