There is further pressure on the hogget trade this week. Hogget quotes for Thursday have reduced to €7.30/kg to €7.40/kg in the main, leaving opening prices for quality assured hoggets (QA) in the region of €7.50/kg.

There are still hoggets moving at prices of €7.60/kg to €7.70/kg, but a high percentage of these are for deals done in recent days, with finishers facing an increasingly challenging market.

There are also price penalties being imposed ranging anywhere from 30c/kg to upwards of 80c/kg for hoggets deemed overweight, with most plants cutting at 25kg and imposing heavier cuts above 27kg.

Some are also threatening to pay very heavy hoggets which have set teeth at ewe prices.

Reports indicate that there are still substantial numbers of hoggets in the market.

This is backed up by last week’s throughput of just 34,310 head comprising over 16,000 hoggets. Lamb numbers are on the rise and it is expected that they will build on last week’s throughput of 14,871 head and surpass hoggets this week.

Lambs have also come into the firing line, down 20c/kg with the two Irish Country Meats (ICM) plants in Camolin and Navan plus Ballon Meats quoting a similar price of €9/kg for QA lambs.

Reports indicate plants not officially quoting are also operating at a similar price.

Regular sellers and groups are securing returns of €9.10/kg, while there are lambs moving on Thursday at €9.20/kg where deals were negotiated earlier this week.

Carcase weight limits are in the region of 21kg in the majority of plants, with agents refusing to go beyond this weight.

Eid al-Adha

Demand for sheep is expected to increase from the end of this week and into next week ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, which runs from 6 to 10 of June.

The festival performed below expectations in 2024, accounting for the second-highest weekly throughput of 63,325 head, when in previous years it surpassed the 75,000 head mark on the week of the festival and not far behind for a second week.

Plants are likely to be busier from Tuesday with one day’s less processing.

Ewe trade

The ewe trade is tougher, with quotes in the main lamb processing factories reducing by 50c/kg over the last 10 days. This equates to almost €20 on a 35kg carcase.

Ballon Meats has also reduced its quote by 30c/kg to €5.50/kg.

Northern Ireland

Base quotes in Northern Ireland have also come under significant pressure, with cuts of 20p/kg to 25p/kg.

Base hogget quotes range from £5.80/kg to £6/kg (€6.91/kg to €7.14/kg), while lamb quotes range from £6.85/kg to £6.90/kg (€8.16/kg to €8.22/kg). Regular sellers are securing upwards of £7/kg.