Louth IFA – Tighter lamb supplies should lift trade

Louth IFA Sheep Chairman Eoin White said there was an improvement in the lamb trade this week with factories paying €4.75/kg to get lambs.

In a statement issued by Louth IFA, Mr. White said supplies have definitely tightened with factories very anxious for stock. In general, prices were in the range of €4.65 to €4.75/kg.

He went on to say that there have been a number of weeks of big kills and, together with the bad weather and lack of thrive, this has left finished lambs supplies much tighter. He said numbers in the producer groups are way back this week and agents are looking for stock.

The IFA Sheep Chairman said farmers with fit lambs should bargain hard and insist on a good bonus over the quoted prices on offer from the factories.

With the Christmas demand kicking in soon, he believes this will add to already strong demand.

He went on to say that carcase weights should also move up to 23kgs at this time of year, with ewes currently making €2.50 to €2.60/kg.