This week's factory beef price quotes see some outlets increase their base-price offering for prime cattle by as much as 30c/kg.

Also this week, sheep factories have pulled their lamb (hogget) price by up to 20c/kg.

While Irish 'all in' beef prices are still 20-30c/kg off the €8.00/kg price mark at the higher-end of the trade, the latest data from the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) shows in the week ending Saturday, March 8, the average R3 grade steer price in Scotland was just under €8.00/kg (7.98/kg).

With up to 30c/kg added to Irish beef price quotes this week and up to 20c/kg cut from Irish lamb price, the differential in beef and lamb price is now less than €1/kg in some cases.

At the higher-end of 'all in' beef prices, up to €7.70/kg is available to farmers for top-end in-spec Angus heifers this week.

Some outlets at the lower-end of the price scale are paying €8.60/kg 'all in' for hoggets this week, leaving the difference in top-end beef prices and lower-end hogget prices at 90c/kg in some cases.

To put this into perspective, the week following St. Patrick's Day last year, spring lamb prices were at €9.40/kg with hogget prices at €8.40/kg and beef prices were at approximately €5.80/kg 'all in' for an in-spec R grade Angus, a differential in price of up to €2.60/kg between 'all in' beef and hogget prices.

The president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) Sean McNamara said: "Beef and lamb prices are now approaching par," something which he said has never been seen in the recent history of the beef or sheep trade.

The ICSA president questioned the reasoning for price drops in the sheep trade and said that some factory agents are citing a glut of Spanish lamb supplies as the cause of the price cuts.

McNamara pointed to the Bord Bia sheep meat price dashboard which indicates Spanish lamb prices are in fact higher than Irish lamb prices.

in the week ending Saturday, March 8, Spanish lamb price was at €9.33/kg with French lamb price at €9.86/kg and Irish lamb price at €8.78/kg.