Slow mart trade for heavy hoggets
The week’s trade at the factories opened with a base price range of 336 and back to 330 cents/kg (120p to 118p/lb), but overnight gains brought the base at all processors operating on Tuesday to a uniform 336 cents/kg, with good demand for supplies.
Prices at the marts for the opening of the week’s trade were steady at last week’s prices.
The pattern in Britain over the past week was for a slowing down in demand and an easing in prices. The prices during the week were largely similar to Irish levels, and auction sales were returning around €23 over €1/kg.
Live shipping to mainland Europe has become more active, and is expected to give the UK trade a boost over the coming weeks, leading to a lift in prices.
The market in France is well supplied and prices for Irish lamb, delivered, ranged around 380 cents/kg this week.
Here, in the marts, trade was steady for an entry of 600 head at Fermoy where the butchers hoggets ranged from €18 to €37 over €1/kg. The factory lots made €10 to €23 over.
There were 1,000 head on offer at Kilkenny Mart on Monday. The heavy hoggets were a harder sell, particularly hoggets over 50kg, which were not popular with the buyers. The factory hoggets were a similar trade to last week with the 44 to 48kg weight range the most popular. Butchers paid €20 to €34 over, and factory agents paid €20 to €29 over.
