Sheep trade: Spring lamb prices fall below €7/kg – Agriland.ie

Further cuts to the prices for spring lamb and hoggets have occurred at the start of this week (beginning Monday, July 15).

While some processors are not quoting at all for spring lambs or hoggets, those that have provided quotes have revealed up to 50c/kg has been taken from the base prices.

This leaves spring lambs fetching base prices of €6.80-6.85/kg, while hoggets are being paid at €5.80/kg.

One year ago, spring lamb base prices ranged from €6.90-7/kg which means that prices this week in 2024 have now fallen behind the corresponding week in 2023.

This week, a farmer will be paid €146.20 for a 21.5kg carcass (at €6.80/kg). One month ago, for the same lamb, a farmer would be paid €182.75 (at €8.50/kg), which represents a loss of €36.55/lamb.

Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) national sheep chair Adrian Gallagher said factories must “wake up to the reality that farmers will not keep working for nothing”.

Gallagher cautioned that factories could one day be in a position of “not having a consistent year-round supply of lambs from processing”.

Spring lamb prices

Irish Country Meats (ICM) is quoting €6.80/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus for spring lambs up to 21.5kg, a total of €7/kg, and a 50c/kg drop in price since last week.

Kildare Chilling is not quoting for spring lambs today.

Other outlets are paying €6.85/kg plus a 15c QA bonus up to 23.5kg, a total of €7/kg and a drop in price of 45c/kg since a week ago.

Hogget prices

This week, ICM is quoting €5.80/kg, plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, which is a total of €6/kg for a hogget, which is a 50c/kg cut in price since last week.

Kildare Chilling, among other processors, are not quoting for hoggets today.

Cull ewe prices

Kildare Chilling, for ewes weighing from 35kg to 43kg, are paying €4/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus.

The processor is also paying €3.60/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for ewes that are weighing from 23kg to 35kg, while thin ewes will be paid at €3/kg.

ICM are paying €3.90/kg for ewes this week, while other processors are paying €3.70/kg plus a 10c/kg QA bonus for heavy ewes.