Factories down to 336 cents/kg (120p/lb)
With prices having slipped through last week, the trade opened on Monday with prices back between 2 cents/kg and 14 cents/kg (1p to 5p/lb) to a base range of 342 back to 336 cents/kg (122p to 120p/lb).
Kildare Chilling increased their base price by 6 cents/kg (2p/lb) to 342 cents/kg for Tuesday, to pay the same as both ICM plants, at Navan and Camolin.
Still on the lower base of 336 cents/kg were Dawn, Ballyhaunis and the Kepak plant at Hacketstown.
In the marts there has been very little change in prices, except for butchers lambs, which are slightly improved. There was a steady trade for 700 head at Fermoy on Monday. Butcher’s lambs made €20 to €38 over €1/kg, and factory lambs sold at €14 to €27 over.
There were over 1,300 head at Kilkenny Mart, where prices were similar to last week, except for butcher’s lambs, which were improved by up to €2/head, at €25 to €35 over. Factory lots sold at €21 to €32 over.
Stronger lamb supplies in Britain led to weaker returns over the past week, with prices slipping to the equivalent of 328 cents/kg including VAT, which provided very competitively priced export lamb for the French trade.
Stronger supplies from the UK and New Zealand, coupled with weaker consumer demand, led to an easing in prices in France, where the going rate for Grade 1 Irish lamb dropped to 365 cents/kg delivered in Paris. For the holiday season, the main demand for lamb has moved to the south of France, where there is an influx of visitors.
