Lamb prices achieve lift-off but ewes stall
SUPPLY pressures continued to put upward pressure on prices to the point where yesterday morning factories once again were forced to lift their quotes for lamb — and in some cases that lift was quite spectacular.
The factory with the magic touch in regard to price rises was Dawn Ballyhaunis, with a lift of 20c/kg for lamb to €5.20+10c/kg Q A.
Kildare’s modest increase of 5c/kg brings them also to €5.20+10c/kg Q A. Kepak Athleague nailed 10c/kg to their lamb quote yesterday, bringing them to €5.05/kg +15c/kg Q A, while Moyvalley moved to €5.40/kg all in.
Missing from all of this activity are the two ICMs, who yesterday were unable to furnish any figures on price.
As the ICM plants kill over 40pc of all the sheep in the country, that probably says more about where the market could be going than Dawn’s price lift.
John Brooks of the ICSA and the IFA’s Sean Dennehy agree that prices appear to be on an upward twist — they said the general run of lamb prices going into this week was around the €5.50/ kg mark, with Mr Dennehy claiming that wholesalers and factories were both paying the equivalent of €5.70/kg in places.
Ewe prices by contrast remain undisturbed for the umpteenth week, with quotes on the table below settled at €2.70/kg, with a 10c/kg offered by Kildare.
On the ground ewes continue to trade around the €3.00/kg mark, with a shake more possible.
With lamb prices on the up I wonder how long before we see positive movement on ewes?
Reports from the marts yesterday gave clear indications that any factory price rises are having an effect back down the supply chain, with Corrin mart in Cork for example recording a €20/hd lift in the price of heavy lambs.
Best wishes
Meanwhile, I wish to extend my best wishes to Mr Brooks for the future as he steps down as ICSA’s sheep chair after four years on Thursday.
John has been a regular contributor to these pages and was never short of an opinion or facts on any matter sheep related.
If he was a soccer player he would be in the mould of Richard Dunne: a rock in defence of sheep farmers’ right to a sustainable income
And if you were a factory boss, a department official or naive politician you got your cards marked early on in regard to where John thought your focus should be in relation to sheep issues.