Breeding ewes up £20 plus as money flows uphill

A buoyant summer lamb trade has been a rising tide that has lifted all ships in the autumn breeding sheep rings, putting hill breeds £20 up on the year.  

Buyer confidence has been reported to be robust, say auctioneers, returning breeding sheep values to 2022 levels.

This is despite 24p/kg falling off the national SQQ through September, and some factory quotes falling under £6/kg for the first time this year.

See also: FSA sheep slaughter survey shows high hygiene levels

Ian Atkinson, livestock auctioneer at Hawes Auction Mart, said it was great to see money feeding back throughout the stratified sheep system.

Swaledale draft ewes averaged £185 a head on 7 October, £25-£30 dearer on the year. Gimmer shearlings levelled at £202.

“Plenty of demand for breeding sheep is helping prices bounce back to the level of autumn 2022. Mule gimmer sales were £30 up on the year across the North, and it’s followed on in the Swaledale and Leicester breeds,” said Mr Atkinson.

Last week’s (3 October) Bluefaced Leicester ram lamb sale was £365 up on the year for 50 fewer forward, hitting a £2,571 average.

“A recent easing in prime lamb values seems mainly due to numbers coming out stronger at several markets. It’s a seasonal trend.”

Blackface ewes were £20 dearer on the year at Stirling Caledonian Marts recently, said auctioneer Nick North.

“Breeding sheep needed to rise to reflect prime lamb prices. Bidding was notably strong at early sales, but has eased slightly as the season has gone on. Every year is different.”

At Skipton, Swaledale shearlings averaged £170 (up £29 on the year) on Saturday (5 October). One-crop ewes were up £25 to £133, two and three-crop ewes lifted over £25 to £137.

Confident market

A contracted national flock is underpinning a strong market, say traders. Defra estimated 13.7m breeding ewes in the country in December 2023, the lowest since records started in 1996, when the figure was around 20m.

In Europe, the UK’s biggest lamb customer, an average lamb carcass is 16% dearer on the year, finishing September at marginally over £7/kg deadweight. This follows an 8.8% drop in European sheep numbers between 2013 and 2023, according to Eurostat.