Festival should hold lamb trade as ‘springers’ near £4/kg

A key Muslim festival is tipped to apply the brakes to falling spring lamb prices, which settled around 410-420p/kg deadweight in the South West this week.

Seasonal price pressure has eroded 40p/kg from spring lamb prices at early sale centres, as more numbers come forward further north.

See also: Latest sheep deadweight prices

However, Quality Meat Scotland red meat analyst Iain Macdonald said the Eid-al-Adha festival (16-20 June) was expected to leave lamb supplies “particularly tight”, with a surge in demand in early June.

Trade experienced a “seasonal fall” at Exeter Livestock Centre, but was roughly £20 a head dearer on the year, said Kivells sheep auctioneer Russell Steer.

Exeter’s Monday sale (20 May) reported a fall of 34p/kg deadweight to the SQQ, which levelled at 407p/kg deadweight. All spring lambs averaged £4/kg deadweight or £170 a head. 

Mr Steer said he saw no reason for any dramatic price falls in the short term, although he underlined the threat posed by Australian and New Zealand deadweight sheep prices (345p/kg and 290p/kg, respectively).

Meanwhile, Welshpool’s store and breeding sheep auctioneer Tom Davies said the strong lamb trade – with hoggs up 35% on the year – had fed into prices for ewes and lambs at foot.

Many lots of hoggs with strong lambs were £25-£30 a life dearer on the year, he said.

Hoggs and lambs averaged £131.80 a life on Monday (20 May), as 644 ewes and 770 lambs went under the hammer. Ewes and lambs averaged £85 a life.