Weather, supply hit French trade

THERE has been an easing in lamb prices, following the completion of orders by the processors for the bank holiday increase in demand in France last Friday.

Warm weather on the continent and an increased supply of lambs from the UK also weakened the export trade over the past week. Prices eased over the final days of last week and opened this week at between 11 and 20 cents/kg (4p to 7p/lb) down on a week earlier, ranging from 358 to 347 cents/kg (128p to 124p/lb).

The higher prices during the early days of last week were certainly influenced by a push to get more lambs for processing, with supplies having fallen off significantly in the recent downturn in prices.