Factory lamb and cull ewe price offers remained firm at the start of the week, with most Irish outlets opening on Monday, October 19, at the same levels as the previous week. The processors also left lamb carcass-weight limits unchanged, according to the sheep trade update.
The update lists quotes from Kepak, Irish Country Meats (ICM), O'Flynn Meats, Kildare Chilling (Dawn Meats Kildare), Ballon Meats and Dawn Meats in Ballyhaunis. It states that current lamb price offers are running approximately 40c/kg ahead of the same time last year, when higher prices had slipped by 10c/kg ahead of the 2025 October Bank Holiday weekend.
Quoted lamb prices vary by outlet and by whether a Quality Assurance (QA) bonus is included. Kepak is quoting €7.85/kg plus a 15c/kg QA bonus, leaving €8.00/kg on offer for lambs up to 22.5kg carcass weight this week. ICM is quoting €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, leaving €8.10/kg on offer up to 22.5kg carcass weight.
O'Flynn Meats in Co. Waterford is quoting €8.30/kg for lambs up to 23kg carcass weight. Kildare Chilling is quoting €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, leaving €8.10/kg on offer up to 22.5kg. Ballon Meats in Co. Carlow is quoting €8.20/kg for lambs up to 23kg, while Dawn Meats in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, is quoting €7.90/kg plus a 20c/kg QA bonus, leaving €8.10/kg on offer up to 22.5kg.
For cull ewes, Kepak's Athleague, Co. Roscommon, site is quoting €4.00/kg again this week. ICM's Navan, Co. Meath, and Camolin, Co. Wexford, outlets are quoting €4.30/kg. O'Flynn Meats is quoting €5.00/kg for cull ewes.
Kildare Chilling is quoting €4.50/kg for cull ewes from 35-45kg carcass weight. Ballon Meats is quoting €4.80/kg for cull ewes, while Dawn Meats in Ballyhaunis is quoting €4.50/kg for cull ewes over 35kg.
In the update, firm refers to offers holding at last week's levels. For lamb, the quoted weight limits are 22.5kg at Kepak, ICM, Kildare Chilling and Dawn Meats Ballyhaunis, and 23kg at O'Flynn Meats and Ballon Meats. For cull ewes, Kildare Chilling's quote applies to 35-45kg carcass weight, while Dawn Meats Ballyhaunis applies its quote to ewes over 35kg.
Across the outlets named in the update, lamb offers range from €8.00/kg to €8.30/kg where the relevant QA bonus is included, and cull ewe offers range from €4.00/kg to €5.00/kg. The report records unchanged factory prices and carcass-weight limits at most outlets, alongside the year-on-year comparison for lamb quotes.