Hoggets bear brunt as factories slash sheep prices

Last week those in the trade were beginning to speak about factory prices being “on a knife edge”. By yesterday morning quotes for spring lambs had been pared by 10c/kg.

Kildare Chilling remain slightly ahead of the opposition on €6.00+10c/kg quality assurance.

The cull ewes are largely as you were with Dawn, the two ICMs and Kepak again unchanged on €2.50/kg, but table-toppers Kildare Chilling slip their quote by 10c/kg to €2.60+10c/kg.

With hoggets, however, the factories wield the price knife with the subtlety of hurley slicing butter.

The ICMs drop back 30c/kg to €5.00+10c/kg QA; Dawn cut 40c to €4.90+10, while Kildare razor 50c/kg off to €4.90+10c/kg QA.

Kepak did not quote for hogget, telling me they are preparing to move over almost completely to lamb in the next week or so.

None of the above is unexpected; many had anticipated a fall in prices.

ICSA sheep chair Sean McNamara reckoned that 10c/kg cut on lambs was more an easing on price rather than an all-out attack.

“The reality is that springs are still making €6.20-6.30/kg because the demand from supermarkets and overseas retailers is unchanged,” he told me.

However, as the supply of lamb increases, more price pressure can be expected.

“Factories are playing with the market before they switch completely away from hogget. They’re testing the trade,” Sean added.

The only consolation for producers is that after basically two dry months lambs have throve very well.

On the mart front, last week prices eased back somewhat, with drops of €4-5/hd reported for springs, while prices for heavy cull ewes dipped by around €8/hd as buyers factored in those expected factory price cuts in advance.

The electronic revolution in mart selling that has accompanied the lockdown is gradually beginning to take hold in the sheep marts, with Enniscorthy and Carnew among the first to embrace the change.

“It offers greater clarity for those selling than the tendering system did,” Kevin Murphy of Enniscorthy said.

With Covid dominating the headlines, Brexit has been pushed onto the back burner by the media, but British officials continue to press ahead with the groundwork for their departure later this year.

Last week the Northern Ireland Livestock and Meat Commission reported that the UK government had published 12 draft negotiating documents covering ten deals it is seeking from the EU.

Extracts included: “Trade from GB to NI will not be subject to tariffs. Only those goods ultimately entering Ireland or the rest of the EU, or at clear and substantial risk of doing so, will face tariffs.”

Customs infrastructure

The LMC noted that while “the UK government outlines in the document that there will be no new physical customs infrastructure in NI and that they see no need to build any”, London does foresee a case for “some existing entry points for agri-food goods to provide for proportionate additional controls”.

There’s a lot of talking to be done before we get any clarity.

Marts

Roscommon

Maura Quigley reported a larger entry of sheep for this assembly and tender sale.

Best price of the day on the spring lamb side saw 48.6kg lambs making €136/hd. Other prices of note among the springs included 45.5kgs for €133.50/hd; 44.2kgs for €130.50/hd, 56.5kgs for €135/hd and 42.4kgs for €124/hd.

Among the ewes with lambs at foot, singles made up to €208/hd while those with doubles saw a top of €260/hd.

Cast ewes sold from €75-124/hd.

Manorhamilton

Ivan Moffitt reported a good sale, with a large selection of ewes with lambs at foot helping numbers.

Older mountain-type ewes with single lambs at foot sold from €105-115/hd, while younger ewes with twins at foot sold to a top of €250/hd.

Ivan reckoned spring lamb prices have eased as more have come online, with his top call seeing 40kg lambs making €124/hd.

Hogget numbers continue to dwindle with hogget ewes here averaging €120-160/hd.

Enniscorthy

This is one of the few sheep marts to have gone online and although the turnout was small, Kevin Murphy predicts that numbers will increase.

Prices, however, seem to be already compromised with Kevin noting that lambs were easier by around €4-5/hd.

Sample prices for those springs included 46kg lambs at €131/hd and 46kgs at €127/hd, while several batches weighing 45kg ranged from €125-128/hd.

Heavy cast ewes sold from €110-139/hd while hoggets saw a top call of €138/hd.

Was online a success “Absolutely. Plus it offers more clarity than tendering,” Kevin said.

Carnew

This sale also saw online technology advance, and given it was a large sale provided a good test.

David Quinn was quite happy with proceedings.

On the prices side, 50kg+ springs sold from €130-139/hd, with those from 42-45kg making €120-128/hd, while in the lighter section 36-39kg lambs averaged €90-105/hd.

Trade for lighter culls was steady from €70-95/hd, but heavier lots were easier by €6-8/hd, with the tops averaging €134/hd.

Cross-bred ewes with lambs at foot sold to a top of €240/hd, with a good number averaging €180-220/hd.

Scotch ewes with singles sold up to €120/hd.

Mountbellew

Numbers were also stronger here with prices in general remaining steady despite factory uncertainty.

Sample prices saw fifteen 35.6kg lambs average €92/hd, with twelve weighing 45kg making €124/hd, while two 54kg lambs sold for €128/hd.

Among the ewe hoggets ten at 53kg made €150/hd, with a further ten weighting 45kgs averaging €130/hd.

Good, well-fleshed stag ewes made up to €122/hd, but lighter stags found the going tough.

There was a good turnout of ewes with lambs at foot: those with singles making €130-180/hd. Those with twins averaged €200-260/hd.