The sheep trade this week saw cuts of up to 10c/kg for spring lambs as supplies from Northern Ireland return after last week.
Sean McNamara, sheep chair of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) said “there’ll be a lot [of spring lambs] coming down from the north after last week”.
He said that “next week could be a tight supply” for spring lambs.
The most recent figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that in the week ending Sunday, July 9, a total of 43,500 spring lambs was processed, down 37% from the 68,900 spring lambs processed in the same week last year.
Commenting on the current price trends in the sheep trade, McNamara said: “A heavier lamb is worth a lot more at the mart than in the factory.”
Sheep trade – hoggets
Kildare Chilling is offering the same price for a hogget ewe as it is for a cull ewe this week, which is €2.90/kg plus a 10c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus to 40kg, a total of €3.00/kg.
Other outlets have offered €5.80/kg for hoggets, while Irish Country Meats (ICM) has not offered a quote for hoggets this week.
Spring lamb
Kildare Chilling has quoted €7.00/kg plus a 10c QA bonus up to 21kg, a total of €7.10/kg up to a 21kg carcass weight, the price decreasing by 20c/kg since last week.
ICM is offering €6.90/kg plus a 20c QA bonus, bringing its offering to €7.20/kg up to a 21kg carcass weight for a spring lamb.
Other outlets have matched these prices for spring lambs, but are offering farmers €6.95/kg plus a 15c QA bonus, a total of €7.10/kg.
Cull ewes
Kildare Chilling is quoting €2.90/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus up to 40kg carcass weight, offering a total of €3.00/kg for a ewe this week, the price staying the same as last week from this processor.
ICM has dropped its price for cull ewes by 10c to €2.90/kg up to 45kg, with other outlets also offering the same price.