In W30 in the lamb and mutton landscape, the European Commission (EC) reports that the European Union's (EU) sheep and goat imports (live animals and meat) reached 28 thousand metric tons (mt) from Jan-23 to Apr-23. This is an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2022. The largest supplier was New Zealand, accounting for an 85% share. However, sheep and goat meat and live animals sold on the global market decreased by almost 2% to 30 thousand mt compared to the same period in 2022. In the EU, the light lamb prices followed seasonal effects. Light lamb prices in euros were 5.5% higher during the first 28 weeks of 2023 than in the same period in 2022. The heavy lamb prices also rose by 2% during the same period.
In Hungary, live lamb export volumes remained relatively stable at 3.8 thousand mt, valued at USD 19 million (+3%) from Jan-23 to Apr-23 compared to the same period in 2022. On the other hand, live lamb import volumes decreased significantly by 77% to 6.8 mt in the first four months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. According to AKI PÁIR, the producer light and heavy lamb prices increased in the period from Jan-23 to Jun-23 compared to the average price in the same period in 2022. The average price of light lamb was USD 4.50/kilogram (kg) (+6%), and the average price of heavy lamb was USD 4.15/kg (+3%) in the first six months of 2023.
In the Australian market, sheep prices softened in W30 as buyer activity was subdued in key sale yards, while supply remained high relative to historic levels. Lamb yardings decreased by 13% week-on-week (WoW) to 159.39 thousand heads while sheep yardings fell by 18% WoW to 56.50 thousand heads. The trade lamb indicator fell by USD 0.27/kg WoW to USD 3.17/kg, with buyer interest at larger sale yards, such as Wagga Wagga, being subdued. The heavy lamb indicator dropped by USD 0.19/kg to USD 3.21/kg, while the merino lamb indicator decreased by USD 0.39/kg to USD 2.27/kg. Also, the mutton indicator declined by USD 0.50/kg to USD 17.20/kg.
Mutton prices exhibited considerable variation across sale yards. Forbes' Mutton indicator fell by USD 0.85 WoW due to a large lift in numbers and mixed quality. Meanwhile, Dubbo's indicator only fell by USD 0.23 WoW and remained flat month-on-month (MoM), with buyer demand driven by quality. Lamb slaughter volumes softened by 3% WoW to 372.58 thousand heads, while sheep volumes more than doubled to 62.50 thousand heads. The increase was primarily registered in New South Wales (NSW), rising by 148% from W29 to 58.02 thousand heads.
Lastly, sheep prices in Ireland dropped by USD 1.10/kg for spring lamb as of W30, causing concerns over farmers' profitability. Irish Country Meats (ICM) quoted USD 6.39/kg plus a USD 0.22 Quality Assurance (QA) bonus for hoggets, while Kildare Chilling offered USD 2.98/kg plus a USD 0.11/kg QA bonus for a hogget ewe. Spring lamb prices also declined, with Kildare Chilling quoting USD 7.38/kg plus a USD 0.11 QA bonus up to 21kg and ICM offering USD 7.16/kg plus a USD 0.22 QA bonus. Other outlets offered USD 7.16/kg plus a USD 0.17/kg QA bonus. Kildare Chilling quoted USD 2.98/kg plus a USD 0.11/kg QA bonus for a ewe, and ICM maintained its price at USD 3.20/kg up to 45kg.