Irish Lamb Prices Firm Amidst Tight Supply
Irish Lamb Prices Firm Amidst Tight Supplies and EU Market Stability
After a period of falling base quotes, Irish lamb prices saw an increase in the week ending April 27th, with major processors offering €8.70-€8.80 per kilogramme (including the Quality Assurance bonus) for well-finished lambs. Some sellers in the higher end of the market have also successfully negotiated increased carcass weight allowances up to 23kg.
This firming of the trade throughout 2025 has been largely attributed to relatively tight lamb supplies, coupled with stable demand from both domestic and export markets. This trend of tighter lamb availability is not unique to Ireland, with other key lamb-producing regions in Europe and the UK also experiencing similar conditions. Recent Eurostat figures indicate a contraction in breeding flock numbers across many regions. In Ireland, the ewe flock saw a 3.7 per cent decrease in the December 2023 census compared to December 2022 levels, representing a decline of approximately 107,000 head and contributing significantly to the current tightness in supply.
Despite the positive movement in base quotes, the reported deadweight price for the week ending April 27th saw a slight drop of 42c/kg to €8.63/kg. This follows two consecutive weeks of price increases in the average prices reported by major lamb processors. Notably, the deadweight price in the corresponding week in 2024 was significantly higher at €9.43/kg. The deadweight trade has also experienced a slight dip across UK regions for the week ending April 27th. Reported lamb prices in mainland Great Britain averaged €8.05/kg (-15c/kg), while in Northern Ireland, the latest figure for the week ending April 27th 2025 stood at €8.82/kg.
Prices in the Southern Hemisphere, while still considerably lower than European levels, have shown a significant improvement in recent weeks, narrowing the price gap with the EU. Given the lead time for product shipments, this recent strengthening of deadweight prices in Australia (€4.67/kg this week, showing a slight increase) and New Zealand (€4.50/kg this week, showing a slight fall) is expected to impact their competitiveness in EU markets in the medium to longer term.
On the supply side, the total sheep kill in DAFM approved plants saw a decrease last week to 32,881 head, compared to 34,712 in the same week of 2024. Tighter supplies have been a defining characteristic of the 2025 lamb season to date, resulting from a smaller lamb crop and challenging lambing conditions impacting the availability of lambs for processing. Consequently, total year-to-date slaughter is down by a significant 18% on 2024, totalling 689,550 head.
Original source: Bord Bia
