The sheep trade has seen prices continue to strengthen into 2025 with price increases seen again this week for both lambs and cull ewes.

Prices of €5.00/kg are widely available this week for fleshed ewes with carcass weights above 20kg as up to €9.50/kg has been tabled for lambs this week at the higher-end of the price scale.

Irish Country Meats (ICM) is quoting €9.00/kg plus a 20c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus for lambs this week leaving €9.20/kg on offer for lambs here. This processor is quoting €5.00/kg for fleshed ewes with carcass weights above 20kg.

Kildare Chilling has no quotes for lambs or ewes this week while Kepak is quoting €4.50/kg for cull ewes and €8.95/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus for lambs leaving €9.10/kg on offer here.

Ballon Meats in Co. Carlow is quoting €9.00/kg for lambs and €5.00/kg for ewes this week.

Other outlets are quoting €9.40/kg for lambs this week but more money is available in cases.

Kilkenny Mart hosted its first sheep sale of 2025 on Monday, January 13, with 500 head of sheep on offer and butcher lambs peaking at €225/head for 14 lambs with an average weight of 52kg selling for €4.33/kg.

Factory lambs peaked at €196/head for 15 lambs with an average weight of 48kg selling for €4.08/kg.

Store lambs reached €172/head for a pen of 10 lambs with an average weight of 40kg selling for €4.30/kg. Lighter stores were a good trade also with a pen of 30kg lambs selling for €117/head or €3.90/kg. Cull ewe prices ranged from €118-245/head.