Sheep Trade & Prices

Sheepmeat

Prices: The reported deadweight price improved late last month, but have decreased slightly by 2c/kg to be €6.15/kg last week. In the same week in 2022 the reported price was €6.16/kg. Deadweight prices Great Britain increased by 3c/kg to €6.37/kg last week while prices in Northern Ireland decreased €0.04c/kg to €5.97/kg respectively. Southern Hemisphere prices remain well below European prices with an average heavy lamb price in Australia and New Zealand last week of €2.64/kg and €3.95/kg, respectively.

Throughput: Last week’s lamb kill to total 59,946 head. This takes spring lamb throughput for the year to date to 1,781,749 head. This is a decline of 55,818 head or 3% from the same period in 2022 with later lambing dates, smaller scanning percentages and longer finishing times on farms all contributing to this decline.  After a strong start to the year the ewe kill in DAFM approved plants has also been operating at lower levels in recent weeks with cull sheep throughput for the year to date totalling 192,158 head, 10% lower than 2022 levels.