The sheep trade is once again starting off on a strong footing this week, as lamb prices continue to head in the right direction.

Last week, base quotes for lambs saw a substantial rise of 10-20c/kg and, again, this week, quotes are once more stronger by 10-20c/kg.

Leading the way again is Kildare Chilling with a base price of €5.40/kg, which is a jump of 20c/kg from this time last week. Irish Country Meats (ICM) is offering a base price of €5.20/kg for lambs – which represents a 10c/kg increase from this time last week also.

Finally, Kepak Athleague was not quoting for lambs or ewes on Tuesday (September 8).

Going by reports, deals of up to €5.60/kg are being achieved by those involved in producer groups, while deals of between €5.40/kg and €5.55/kg are being secured “freely for lambs up to 21.5kg”.

Throughput

For the week ending August 30, the sheep kill amassed to 60,507 head, which is an increase of over 6,400 head from the week before.

The number of spring lambs processed increased by 4,749 head and amounted to 51,355 head, for the week ending August 30. To date this year, 9% or 72,793 more lambs have been killed in comparison to the same period in 2019.

Cast (ewe and ram) supplies at the Department of Agriculture approved sheep export plants stood at 9,044 head – an increase of 1,724 head – for the week ending August 30.

Moreover, overall supplies increased by 6,431 head during the week ending August 30 and amounted to 60,507 head.

Cumulative figures for the year to date have reached 1,872,639 head, which is an increase of 84,852 head compared to the 2019 figure of 1,787,787 head.