Irish lamb prices steady at €8.10–8.30/kg this week
Irish meat processors are offering €8.10–8.30/kg for lambs this week, with prices largely unchanged. Some plants say more lighter cull ewes are coming forward and will be priced differently.
Lamb prices at Irish meat processing plants have remained largely steady this week, ranging from €8.10 to €8.30/kg carcase weight, according to the farming news site AgriLand.
Some smaller outlets are paying for lambs up to 23kg carcase weight, while others cap at 22.5kg. Procurement staff at several plants noted larger numbers of lighter cull ewes (ewes removed from breeding flocks) and said those under 34kg carcase weight will be priced differently.
Factory offers
Kepak is quoting €7.85/kg plus a 15c/kg Quality Assurance (QA) bonus, giving €8.00/kg up to 22.5kg. Its Athleague site in Co. Roscommon pays €4.00/kg for cull ewes.
Irish Country Meats quotes €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, leaving €8.10/kg up to 22.5kg. Its Navan (Co. Meath) and Camolin (Co. Wexford) plants pay €4.30/kg for cull ewes.
O’Flynn Meats in Co. Waterford offers €8.30/kg for lambs up to 23kg and €5.00/kg for cull ewes. Kildare Chilling (Dawn Meats Kildare) quotes €8.10/kg including the QA bonus and €4.40/kg for cull ewes of 35–45kg. Dawn Meats in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, offers €8.10/kg for lambs and €4.50/kg for ewes over 34kg. Ballon Meats in Co. Carlow pays €8.00/kg for lambs up to 23kg and €4.80/kg for cull ewes.
Kilkenny Mart
Fewer than 400 sheep were offered at Kilkenny Mart on Monday, 9 November. Auctioneer George Candler said trade remained strong, with butcher wholesale types peaking at €222/head. Most lambs over 52kg made €200–220/head. Factory-type lambs peaked at €201 for 49kg, while cull ewes were a little sharper than the previous week, topping at €220.
