This is a subscriber-only article
Factory prices for fat hoggets have hit record highs, with deals of 710p/kg freely available early this week.
At the upper end of the market there are reports of 720p/kg on offer to finishers handling big numbers of slaughter-fit animals.
Farmers are also having success in negotiating payment to a 23kg carcase weight limit, up from the more common 22.5kg limit.
Hogget prices are up 160p/kg on the same week last year, adding £36 to the value of a 23kg carcase, and are also 70p/kg above the opening prices for spring lamb last April.
Marts
Where farmers encounter resistance from factory agents on price or carcase weight limits, there is the option to sell in local marts. Heavy hoggets weighing above 26.5kg half-weight are commanding prices around £180, rising above £200 for animals in excess of 30kg. Hoggets between 23kg to 26kg are making £150 to £180, while lighter lots in the region of 22kg are returning prices above £140.
Irish plants
Processors in the Republic of Ireland are on quotes of €8.20/kg, with €8.50/kg freely available and reports of payment to 24kg carcase weight. That converts to a sterling price of 710p/kg.
Prices in Britain continue to trade above 790p/kg with the combination of tight supplies and buying demand for Ramadan underpinning prices.
That significant price gap to Britain is continuing to encourage exporters to ship heavy hoggets across the Irish Sea, with 3,700 sheep taken across last week from NI.
SHARING OPTIONS: