Factories are still paying “quite close” to record highs for lamb, despite a €10/head cut to prices over recent weeks, according to Irish Country Meats’ general manager James Smyth.

“What I would say in the current week we are trading in is that we are 50c/kg of a higher base price at €8.50/kg plus 20c/kg for quality assured for next week. This time last year, we were at €8/kg,” Smyth told the Irish Farmers Journal at Sheep 2025.

He stated that some markets were “struggling” to sustain demand when base prices were between €9 and €9.50/kg.

“While we have had a few difficult weeks, if you want to call it that, post Eid [early June], generally the prices have been quite close to historically high prices over the past two or three years.

“Generally European countries – the Spanish, the German, the French, the UK – have their own source of new season lamb at this stage, so the competition is very difficult out there and we just have to get through that period post Eid.”

Smyth said that farmers are moving lambs at “very suitable” weights and fat covers, with “no great difficulty” reported with lambs killing out of spec.

“When we have that volume of in-spec lambs, it ultimately helps to underpin the price because we are not going to the market with overfat, overweight lambs as a higher percentage of the kill.”