Hogget prices in Northern Ireland have seen a rise in figures which have now included spring lamb quotes. The Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) says that the base quotes from the major NI processors last week for R3 grade hoggets ranged from 585-590p/kg with plants paying up to 22kg. The LMC has also reported that the opening quote for spring lambs is expected to be 590-600p/kg at the start of this week.
Looking at the figures for last week ending 9 April, a total of 6,691 hoggets were slaughtered in local plants for the week ending April 2, down 592 head from the 7,283 head killed locally the previous week. Exports of lambs to the south for direct slaughter totalled 6,383 head, which was back 982 head when compared to the previous week.
LMC claims that the average deadweight hogget price in NI for the week ending April 2 was 568.3p/kg, a significant increase of 12.7p/kg from the previous week. There have been reports of strong lamb trade across the Marts last week. Hogget prices at marts generally ranged from 485p/kg up to nearly 610p/kg.
Meanwhile, the cull ewe trade remained firm last week with top reported prices ranging from £180/head up to £288/head.