Farming Eye

It has been another strong week in the hogget trade, with the GB average price back above 200p/kg for the first time in more than eight months, some highly welcome news for sheep producers everywhere.

Yesterday’s trade across the country returned an average SQQ price of 201.1p/kg, a rise of more than 18p/kg on last week’s prices.

And today’s trade has been equally impressive, with United Auctions’ sale at Stirling seeing 7041 hoggets sold to average out at 207p/kg and selling up to a high of 280p/kg.

Further north at Thainstone an entry of 3998 hoggets levelled at an exceptional 217.9p/kg, with an SQQ price of 223.8p/kg and a top price/kg of 271.1p/kg.

It looks like the predictions of a few weeks back following the massive glut of slaughterings in January have been fulfilled and a rising demand and relative shortfall in supply are driving prices back in the direction producers have been hoping for.

It will be interesting to see how the spring lamb trade develops in the next few weeks as increasing numbers come forward to the markets.

by Jonathan Long

The early week prime markets are reporting a sharper demand for prime hoggets even though many are reporting increased numbers being marketed.

Yesterday’s trade at all centres was well up on last week, with Ashford selling more than 3300 hoggets to level at 176.5p/kg, a rise of nearly 10p/kg on the previous week. Meanwhile at Melton Mowbray the trade averaged 179.7p/kg, up by 9p on last Tuesday and at Caledonian Marts, Stirling, prices were well up too with hoggets averaging 187.7p/kg up by 16p/kg.

It looks like the biggest rise of the day came at Ruthin which saw trade level at 184.6p/kg, up by a massive 24p/kg on last week’s prices. It is a similar story across the country and it is one which will be welcomed by all hogget finishers after the lacklustre trade experienced earlier in the year.

It seems that demand is on the rise again and that has to be a good thing, although there appears to be no single factor driving things forward. No doubt the acquisition of a number of VION’s red meat plants by the 2 Sisters group has put a little more confidence and competition in the sector, although I doubt that will have have had a significant effect yet.

We’ll wait and see what today’s trade does, but all being well the upward trend will continue as we come through the end of the hoggets and start seeing larger numbers of new season lambs entering the market.

by Jonathan Long

As anyone with even half a grip on the hogget trade will be all to well aware prices in the opening four to five weeks of this year were at best described as depressed and at worst as a disaster.

And again, anyone with an iota of common sense will know that lambs were hard to finish last summer and autumn due to the abysmal weather.

What may surprise some is just how bad things have been and the affect it has had on the trade. According to the latest DEFRA statistics the hogget kill in January stood at 1.1m, up by 13% on the same month in 2012. In other words there there 126,550 more hoggets slaughtered this January compared to last year. By anyone’s standards that a lot of lamb to find buyers for and its really no wonder prices have been back as a result.

When you add to that a fall in average carcass weight of 0.6kg in the same period, it very soon becomes apparent just what an affect last year’s awful weather has had on things.

But the story doesn’t end there, adult sheep slaughterings have also shown a change, with the adult kill up by 11% in January too at 189,000 head. Higher barren rates are without doubt behind this rise, but it all adds up to the same result, more sheepmeat in the market keeping prices depressed.

Worryingly it is a similar trade being seen in Eire too, with Irish slaughterings up by a massive 33% in January and that will of course have had an impact on the export trade.

Now for some good news! Hogget prices in February have been better than they were in January, with GB average prices now sitting above the 160p/kg for the last two weeks, something they failed to do at all in January.

The first new season lambs are also starting to find their way to the market, with a small entry at Sedgemoor on Monday selling to 231p/kg or £85/head.

It has to be hoped that the larger kill numbers in January mean a significant chunk of the carry over has been cleared out of the market now and those with hoggets still to sell may well see more pleasing prices in the coming weeks.

by Jonathan Long

Bentham Auction Mart’s Super Two Challenge, for the best pair of Continental Prime Hoggs, saw 24 pens forward for judge Mick Etherington, Bingley, to go through. He awarded the championship honours to Frank Joel and grandson Jack Edmondson, Westhouse, whose pen weighing 52kg sold for £90 to Ali Shan, Keighley.

The reserve champions were consigned by G R and A Foy and Son, Conder Green, for a pen of 42kg which sold for £107 or 254p/kg, this time selling to S A Swales of Knavesmire Butchers, York. However, this was soon eclipsed with a pen from M R and J E Davis, Austwick, with their 42kg topping at £118 or 281p/kg again to SA Swales. Also in the money was  next was Hayley Baines, Trawden, with two hoggs weighing 41kg which made £114 or 278.1p/kg to SA Swale of York. Overall average for the 24 pens was 214.2p/kg or £85.80.

by Chrissie Long

Sheep trade has held up strongly over the Easter break, with Greenslade Taylor Hunt reporting a strong demand for hoggets at Sedgemoor yesterday.

Even the heavier end of the hoggs, which have been harder to place in recent months, were in demand.

The best handyweights sold to 241p/kg from M Davey, while heavier hoggs sold to £98.50 and £98 from Mr J Baker, with the overall entry of 837 hoggs averaging £92.69.

Meanwhile, the lamb trade was a shade easier for the 384 new season lambs forward. The best of these sold to 273p/kg for T E Harris, with the best price/head being £116 for lambs from K E Bell. The lambs levelled the day at £98.98

North of the border at St Boswells trade was markedly up on the previous week, with the overall average rising by 13p on last week to settle at 208.3p/kg for 1692 sold.

Best of these on a p/kg basis were Cheviots at 251.3p/kg from Wester Ulston, with South Country Cheviots from Kirklands trading at 241.3p/kg. Topping the sale on a headage basis were Suffolks from Thirlestane at £107.

With shortening numbers of hoggets about and new season lambs not available in any numbers for another few weeks it may well be that the trade lifts a shade more yet.

Cull ewes are still trading at good prices too, with the best of these making up to £145 at St Boswells on Monday for Suffolks and Sedgemoor also seeing the same top price on Saturday. Monday’s offering of 300 at St Boswells saw the average jump by £9.50 to level at £98.70, while the 672 forward at Sedgemoor yielded a tremendous average of £102.21.

by Jonathan Long

There may still be too many heavyweight hoggets coming on to the market for many buyers liking, but if the trade in the first half of this week is anything to go by it isn’t dampening their enthusiasm much, with the SQQ rising strongly in a number of markets.

At Skipton on Monday the SQQ saw a 13p jump to settle at 218p/kg, while at Carlisle on the same day it rose by an impressive 20p to sit at 244p/kg. Meanwhile at Wigton on Tuesday the SQQ hit 240p/kg a rise of 19p/kg on the week and further south at Melton on the same day trade levelled a 220p/kg, up by 11p on the previous week’s sale.

And, finally yesterday Brecon and Stratford saw rises of 6p and 7p respectively.

So, while the number of lambs meeting spec may not be ideal, it seems buyers aren’t being too fussy as we come towards the back end of the hogget trading. That said there is still some consumer resistance with recent press reports suggesting consumption has fallen by nearly 20% in the last 12 months.

However, on the good news front apparently eating red meat staves off depression, so if you’re feeling a bit down then it’s a lamb  or a decent steak to the rescue it seems!

by Jonathan Long

While the strong store cattle trade has been catching the headlines in recent weeks the store hogget trade has been none to shabby either, with Saturday’s sale of 2051 stores at Sedgemoor drawing a bumper trade which peaked at £99 and averaged £78.72.

And, with the ewe lambs penned separately in the breeding sheep section one can only assume these top pens were genuine stores, albeit possibly on the fit side and just about ready to kill. However, trade elsewhere has been equally as strong, with Melton Mowbray selling 291 stores last week to level at £72.36 to a top of £81. Again ewe lambs were sold separately here to a high of £102.

On the back of such a strong store trade and with prime hoggets still trading well enough the couple trade has been bouyant too, with Sedgemoor seeing the best outfits selling to £265 for ewes with doubles (£88.33/life) and others not far behind at £262 (£87.33/life).

With the early spring lamb in the south west seeing prices as high as £109 for 41kg lambs (266p/kg) at Exeter yesterday it is easy to see where couple buyers are getting their confidence from, indeed the 491 lambs at Exeter yesterday levelled at 232p/kg, a more than respectable average so early in the season.

by Jonathan Long

Prime lambs prices this week have once again been strong across the UK, with processors keen to secure supplies. But, while prices are still ahead of this time last year, the gap between the 2011 and 2012 trade is now narrowing significantly.

Yesterday’s sale at United Auctions, Stirling, saw 5540 hoggets traded to average 192.3p/kg, a fall of 4.5p/kg on the week.

Best of the prices on a headage basis was £123 paid for Texel crosses, with the same breed taking the top price/kg too at 214p/kg. And it’s been a familiar tale at other centres in the last week, according to Texel Sheep Society chief executive John Yates.

“No matter where you are in the UK the chances are that Texel cross hoggets are topping the prices in your local market. There is no regional variation when it comes to the demand for Texel crosses and they are appealing to both local butchers and mainstream processors alike.

by Jonathan Long

While old season lamb prices are still a bit ahead of this time last year they haven’t soared to the levels many expected them to. With several pre-Christmas predictions of hoggets regularly in excess of £120/head now looking more than a little optimistic.

One defining factor in limiting prices is, according to some auctioneers the difficulty in trading heavier hoggets, with James Sealy of Bletsoes reporting larger numbers of heavy hoggets proving hard to place compared to their medium counterparts.

“The SQQs have been hovering around that 195p mark and certainly, the lambs, pounds a head, have not gone as dear as predicted.”

At Thainstone last week 2009 old season lambs averaged 195.4p/kg, a fall of 5p on the week and sold to 237.2p/kg for 39kg Texel crosses from Hallhill, Kinneff, and £100 gross for 60kg Texel crosses for Daies, Wardhouse and for 58kg Continentals and 65kg Zwartbles from 20 Balmellie Street, Turriff. The old season SQQ for 1145 hoggets up to 45.5kg averaged 204p/kg a fall of 1.1p.

So, while of course it’s easier said than done, it seems many of these heavier hoggets would have been better off drawn and sold a few weeks back before they got to the post 45kg mark, that is of course if they were fleshed at that weight.

We wait to see what the spring lamb trade does when larger numbers hit the markets, but the early signs are encouraging with lambs selling to as high as 279p/kg and averaging in the 235-250p/kg bracket in south west markets in the last couple of weeks. Once again though heavier lambs are being discounted in comparison to standard weights.

by Jonathan Long