Up to 380 cents/kg for lambs

IT HAS been yet another bad week for lamb producers, seeing prices cut by as much as 15 cents/kg (5p/lb).

However, there is a feeling within the trade that the worst may be over, at least for the present, and prices may be about to bottom out as supplies tighten after three weeks of a landslide in prices paid to sheep farmers.

In the marts, there was an improved trade for butchers’ lambs this week, with quality lots making up to €65 over on Monday.

The base quotes at factories on Monday ranged from 380 to 375 cents/kg (135 to 133p/lb), and these prices were maintained for Tuesday’s kill.

The supply of lambs to processors has slipped 20% below the same weeks of last year.

There was a reduced entry of 400 head on offer at Fermoy Mart on Monday, where the quality butchers’ lambs were very much in demand. They ranged from €90 to €120/head,k which was equivalent to €38 to €65 over. The factory lambs made €55 to 83/head, or €20 to €25 over.

The trade in Britain has not been offering much hope. Prices have eased further, and farmers there are getting the equivalent of 360 cents/kg including VAT, which is a drop of 25 cents/kg in one week.

In France, demand is reported to have slowed. Supplies of very competitively priced lamb from Britain are plentiful, and there is competition too from very competitively priced New Zealand lamb.

Irish lamb prices slipped by up to 20 cents/kg last week, and sold at 400 to 410 cents/kg by the week-end.