Quotes from the plants for R3 grade lambs at the end of this week were 350p/kg with plants paying up to 21kg.
This according to market analysts at Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) Northern Ireland who added that good supplies of lambs coming forward for slaughter with 12,738 lambs killed in NI plants last week.
"This brings throughput for the month of July 2014 to 61,472 head compared to 44,703 head slaughtered during July 2013," said the LMC in its weekly Bulletin.
"This increase by 16,769 head accounts for a 37.5 per cent increase in throughput of lambs by the NI plants year on year."
The NI deadweight price increased by 1.6p/kg to 353.6p/kg last week while in ROI the average deadweight price was back by 2.3p/kg to 348.2p/kg. In GB last week the deadweight price was back by 22p/kg to 382p/kg. This puts the differential with NI at 28.4p/kg or £6 on a 21kg lamb.
This Week’s Marts
The trade in the marts this week has been broadly similar to previous weeks with a firm demand for good quality lambs.
In Massereene on Monday 525 lambs sold from 305-357p/kg compared to 1,215 lambs selling from 315-340p/kg last week.
In Kilrea on Monday 620 lambs sold from 318-358p/kg compared to 300 lambs last week selling from 325-356p/kg.
In Saintfield on Tuesday a similar trade to the previous week saw 1,088 lambs selling from 310-365p/kg.
A good show of 1,456 lambs in Ballymena on Wednesday sold to an average of 315p/kg compared to 1,330 lambs last week selling to an average of 318p/kg.
Good quality cull ewes generally achieved top prices of £80- 90 across the marts this week.
