Slight recovery in lamb prices

Marts: Lamb prices at the factories ended the week with the steady tone from mid-week being maintained and returns to producers showing a slight recovery from the opening prices on Monday.

Base prices at the processors were ranging 353-342 cent/kg (126p-122p/lb) after recording gains of 3-6 cent/kg (1p-2p/lb) since mid-week. Producers have been welcoming the reversal in the downward trend and hope for more stability for the trade forward, with prices currently trailing the same week in 2003 by up to 15 cent/kg (5p/lb).

Prices in the marts have also had a steadier week.

Butchers’ lambs met with a very strong trade at Fermoy Mart, where they fetched up to €40 over €/kg for the tops of the 54kg lambs, but the poorer quality lots sold back to €22 over. Butchers’ lambs sold at €28-€32 over at Dungarvan Mart and at Blessington the trade returned €25-€31 over €/kg for the butchers’ lots. The pattern was similar at Kanturk, where they sold from €23 over to €30 over, and also made up to €30 over at Athenry Mart.

The factory lambs made up to €22 over at Fermoy and up to €25 over at Blessington. They sold at €21 to €28 over at Dungarvan and made €23-€26 over at Kanturk.

Lambs for the export trade have been meeting with stiff competition in France from New Zealand and British supplies, although supplies in Britain are showing a slight decline. The demand in France has continued quieter than expected.

Throughput at the export plants continued to run at more than 7% higher than for the same period in 2003, with the total slaughtered to the end of July at 1.5m head, an increase of 100,000 head on 2003.