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NI factories are applying pressure to the lamb trade with attempts to reduce base quotes, as well as cutting throughput on kill lines.
Prices of 595p to 600p/kg were available mid-week, although reports from producer groups indicate factories were trying to work from a base of 590p/kg.
In the marts, buying agents are keeping a lid on the trade by limiting deals to 5p to 10p/kg above base quotes. In the marts, sales held earlier this week did see an easier trade. Prices paid for 24kg to 26kg lots ranged from £126 to £132, dropping to £120 and £124 for lambs weighing 22kg to 23.5kg.
Lamb throughput at local plants is down, with factories prioritising kill lines and chills to meet a solid demand for beef. Prices for cattle remain on 490p to 496p/kg for in-spec steers and heifers with deals pushing into 500p/kg for regular finishers, well above an unchanged base of 476p/kg for U-3 animals.
Cull cows are also a positive trade with deals of 380p to 400p/kg for suckler types.
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