Factory lamb and cull ewe quotations were firm at the start of this week, with most processors holding last week's offers and making no change to lamb carcass-weight limits.
Across the outlets cited, lamb prices including quality assurance bonuses mostly ranged from €8.00/kg to €8.10/kg for carcasses up to 22.5kg. Two processors quoted higher lamb prices for carcasses up to 23kg. Cull ewe quotations were also unchanged, spanning €4.00/kg to €5.00/kg depending on the outlet and, in some cases, carcass weight.
Lamb and cull ewe quotations
- Kepak quoted €7.85/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus, or €8.00/kg, for lambs up to 22.5kg carcass weight. Its Athleague, Co. Roscommon, site quoted €4.00/kg for cull ewes.
- ICM quoted €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, or €8.10/kg, for lambs up to 22.5kg. Its Navan, Co. Meath, and Camolin, Co. Wexford, sites quoted €4.30/kg for cull ewes.
- O'Flynn Meats in Co. Waterford quoted €5.00/kg for cull ewes and €8.30/kg for lambs up to 23kg carcass weight.
- Kildare Chilling (Dawn Meats Kildare) quoted €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, or €8.10/kg, for lambs up to 22.5kg. It quoted €4.50/kg for cull ewes from 35–45kg carcass weight.
- Ballon Meats in Co. Carlow quoted €8.20/kg for lambs up to 23kg carcass weight and €4.80/kg for cull ewes.
- Dawn Meats in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, quoted €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, or €8.10/kg, for lambs up to 22.5kg. It quoted €4.50/kg for cull ewes over 35kg.
The quotations show how the headline price depends on both the base quote and the QA bonus. At Kepak, a 15c/kg bonus lifts €7.85/kg to €8.00/kg. At ICM, Kildare Chilling and Dawn Meats Ballyhaunis, a 20c/kg bonus lifts €7.90/kg to €8.10/kg. O'Flynn Meats and Ballon Meats quoted lamb prices of €8.30/kg and €8.20/kg respectively, both for carcasses up to 23kg.
Weight bands remain part of the offer structure. Most lamb quotations apply up to 22.5kg carcass weight, while O'Flynn Meats and Ballon Meats quote up to 23kg. For cull ewes, Kildare Chilling's €4.50/kg applies to 35–45kg carcasses, and Dawn Meats Ballyhaunis' €4.50/kg applies to ewes over 35kg.
Price comparison
Current lamb offers are about 40c/kg ahead of the same point a year earlier. A year earlier, higher prices had slipped by 10c/kg ahead of the October bank holiday weekend, offering a comparison with the current firm footing.
What is holding steady
The common thread across the quotations is stability rather than a new upward move: headline lamb offers, QA bonuses and carcass-weight ceilings are largely unchanged from last week. The range of factory quotes nevertheless leaves a spread of 30c/kg between the lowest and highest headline lamb price, while cull ewe prices vary by as much as €1.00/kg across the outlets cited.