Lamb prices on the rise as sales heat up

THERE are price rises for lamb across the board this week.

The official factory quotes as outlined below see prices rise by 5- 10c/kg in all plants with Athleague topping the table at an all-in price of €5.01/kg, pipping Moyvalley and Kildare Chilling who are all-in at €5.00/kg, small margins make the difference.

Bertie Mannion from Kepak Athleague man did concede that Roscommon’s loss against Galway in the Connacht football replay was not a case of small margins, but added that there was still “a kick left in the team the next day” against Clare.

As to whether there was another kick left in the price of sheep, the reply was cryptic: “There is always another kick left, it’s just a question of direction.”

The remaining plants ICM Camolin and Navan plus Dawn Ballyhaunis are effectively all on €4.90/kg all in.

The actual on the ground prices also see improvement with both John Lynskey of IFA and John Brooks of ICSA quoting me €5-5.10/kg with mention of €5.20/kg being paid towards the end of last week to secure supplies.

Ewe prices remain firm with quotes unchanged at €2.40/kg although I note Kepak have dropped from last week’s €2.50/ kg plus bonuses to be mainly in line with the others at €2.40/ kg. The on the ground price for ewes is similarly unchanged at €2.60-2.70/kg.

The trade is proving difficult for the factories and one significant factor is the number of lambs that are now being snapped up by farmers for further feeding and the buyers include some newcomers to the trade.

Another factor is that some of the traditional sheep men stopped feeding their lambs.

They are now discovering that there is actually a very strong market this year for their less finished animal at the marts.

That’s an issue that a lot of factories have commented on over the last month, complaining that they were being forced to deal with not very suitable stock as a result.

I mentioned last week that supplies of sheep to the factories are running approximately 5pc ahead of 2015 figures at 1.26m head.

The breakdown of the Bord Bia figures shows that the extra kill is compromised entirely of increases in hogget, cull ewes and ram numbers, while the number of spring lambs slaughtered to date are 4pc down on the same period for 2015.

John Lynskey notes that since the Brexit result, UK prices have kicked on with factory prices up 9p/kg as of last Wednesday to £4.19/kg which is equivalent to €5.28/kg at an exchange rate of 83.5p/€.

Across the channel in Paris, in the Rungis market in the south of the city, grade one carcase lamb including VAT made €5.67/kg last week.