Spring lambs lift £18 as hogg volume clears
© Szabolcs Csehak/Adobe Stock A surge in spring lamb trade was carried into the start of the week, suggesting the hogg mountain has almost shifted.
Market forces have supported a 50p/kg rise in spring lambs, instigated by Eid, Ramadan and Easter. This has lifted trade by £18 a head or more.
But auctioneers say a stronger April has followed a sluggish March. Defra figures show 2021 was the lowest year for lamb and mutton production since foot and mouth in 2001, suggesting a high carryover of hoggs into 2022.
Subsequently, March spring lamb premiums were just 26p/kg (+9.7%) above hogg trade, at 287p/kg, compared with 14-15% back in 2017 and 2018. By contrast, April’s premium grew to 19.95%, at an average of 330p/kg.
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The numbers
- 227.3k Tonnes of mutton and lamb produced by the UK in 2021 – this was back 9.48% on the five-year average and the lowest since 2001, which was 266,600t (Defra)
- 3.9m Estimated number of lambs carried over into 2022 (AHDB)
- +9p/kg Lift in the new season lamb SQQ at Ross, as 1,158 lambs levelled at 334p/kg and a total of 1,797 averaged 272.9p/kg (AHDB)
Bakewell
Peter Oven of Bagshaws told Farmers Weekly that hogg supply had started to dry up. He forecast that the switchover to new season lamb would start next week (18-19 May).
He feared there was little hope of early lambers getting higher prices for their lambs, given the value of other proteins, particularly pork, and with consumers under rising cost pressures.
However, new season lambs lifted about 9p/kg on the week (£3-£4 a head) on Monday (9 May) to leave vendors “content enough”.
“Best hoggs have made £150 a head and plenty came to 275-280p/kg if they were good, meaty types,” said Mr Oven.
“Problem is, we are getting into the tail end of some runs now,” he said, adding that while the very best Beltex hoggs were more than 300p/kg, quality was “dwindling fast” in general.
He said new season trade had seen the grass-fed Suffolk Mule lambs make £115-£120 on Monday (9 May), while the three-quarter continental systems with Beltex, Texel and Charollais sires made nearer £150.
Best butchers’ lambs had been in demand and had regularly made 350-370p/kg, he added.
Springers at 720p dead
Rugby Farmers Mart auctioneer Tom Wrench said last week’s deadweight export trade in the region averaged 610p/kg, a figure comfortably surpassed by trade at Rugby this week.
On Monday (9 May) hoggs sold for the equivalent of 640p/kg deadweight. New season trade was worth 720-730p/kg for an average show of lambs that had struggled in the spring weather, said Mr Wrench.
He suggested a gap could open in spring lamb supply as very early lambers stuck to their guns and the late February and March lambers considered whether the system was worthwhile with creep nearing £400/t.