Superb lamb trade surpasses £9/kg deadweight

The lamb trade has been as hot as the weather in the past week, with prices at their highest levels for two years.

Tight supplies, strong exports and exceptional seasonal demand have kept prices buoyed throughout the past month.

Abattoirs have been paying in excess of 930p/kg deadweight for top quality spring lambs, while hoggs have been selling for up to 900p/kg.

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Spring lambs were selling for £193 a lamb on average at Exeter Livestock Centre on 25 May, with an SQQ of 452p/kg liveweight.

Russell Steer, auctioneer at Exeter, told Farmers Weekly that the market had been seeing strong numbers and a decent trade for both spring lambs and hoggs.

He said: “The hogg price lifted before Easter and this period between Easter and Qurbani has been just as good really if not better.

“The export trade for new season lamb is what drives it this time of year, it will be interesting to see how prices progress in the next couple of weeks.

“We had 3,300 spring lambs in last week [at Exeter] and 3,200 on 25 May, so 6,500 spring lambs in the past two weeks.

“We would be fairly early here in the west country, but our numbers are much higher than previous years.

“The sheep job is the one thing that looks favourable at the moment.”

However, elsewhere in the UK, new season lambs have been slower to come to market, and supplies remain tight with GB estimated weekly throughput down by 17% year-on-year in mid-May at roughly 165,000 head.

Defra production figures indicated supplies had also been stretched during April, with total mutton and lamb production down by 10% on the year at 21,000 tonnes.

Demand drivers

Demand for lamb has been strong in the run up to the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which includes the Qurbani feast.

This seems to be a key driver for prices in the short term, with Shropshire-based exporter Euro Quality Lambs indicating it was their busiest time of the year in the build up to Qurbani.

However, buyers suggest that prices may start to come under a little pressure in the coming weeks with orders fulfilled and a greater number of spring lambs expected to start coming through.

Look ahead

The AHDB forecasts the 2026-27 lamb crop to be 2% smaller year-on-year, which could help to support the trade in the longer term.

Becky Smith, senior livestock analyst at the AHDB, said: “We have now passed the seasonal peak for lamb demand, yet prices remain exceptionally strong.

“Looking ahead, we could expect some easing of prices, in line with seasonal trends, however the underlying economic factors suggest that prices will remain supported.

“On the demand side, whilst the domestic picture is more muted, the prospects for export, particularly to the Continent appear favourable.”

The European Commission anticipates sheep meat imports to the EU to increase by 5% in 2026, with the UK hoping to capitalise on this valuable market.