Irish Sheep Prices Ease Amid Processor Pressure
Hogget Prices Ease as Heavy Carcases Pressure Irish Sheep Trade
The Irish hogget trade has come under renewed downward pressure, with heavier carcase weights creating challenges for processors and dragging on prices across the market.
Base hogget quotes have eased back to around €7.50–€7.60/kg, plus quality assurance bonuses. Producers with larger numbers of hoggets that closely match current market specifications have been able to negotiate slightly stronger prices, but reports suggest an increasing proportion of heavy carcases in the kill is proving difficult to place.
Processors are encountering resistance from both retail and carcase customers, who continue to show a clear preference for lighter-weight lamb, limiting flexibility in the trade.
The average reported deadweight price for the week ending 24 January fell by 5c to €7.56/kg, remaining well behind the same period last year when prices averaged €8.92/kg. In Great Britain, reported deadweight prices declined by 13c/kg, while Northern Ireland prices dropped by 18c/kg to €6.97/kg.
Southern Hemisphere markets showed mixed trends. In Australia, a flush of new-season lambs combined with higher carcase weights weighed on prices, although heavy lamb values edged 3c/kg higher to the equivalent of €6.05/kg. New Zealand lamb prices improved to around €5.40/kg, with stronger supply influencing trade dynamics.
Sheep throughput in DAFM-approved plants for the week ending 24 January totalled 36,333 head, running 2% behind the same week in 2025. However, year-to-date throughput is 4% ahead of last year, with increases across all sheep categories. Industry sources suggest a stronger carryover of hoggets into 2026, which may support higher hogget throughput during the first quarter.
Source: Bord Bia | Sheep Trade & Prices | 6 February 2026
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