September finished lamb prices have held steady year-on-year, despite the store market recording price pressures.
According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), in September, new season store lamb prices through GB markets declined 5% on the price recorded during the same period a year ago. However, this is still 8% above that recorded in 2020, and an increase on the five-year average.
Store lamb auction prices typically soften around this time of the year and pick up later in the year, according to AHDB. It added that this reflects trends in the finished market and numbers of store lambs coming forwards.
AHDB recorded that fewer store lambs were sold in July and August compared to a year ago. However, this was balanced by higher throughput in September and its figures found that 10% more store lambs were sold than last year. From June through to early October, the number of store lambs sold in GB only decreased by 0.3%.
Following trends
GB store cattle prices have also eased compared to figures a year ago, not maintaining the rate of year-on-year growth seen in the finished market. Despite this, prices remain above five-year averages.
AHDB said that pressure has been felt particularly in prices for younger animals, potentially reflecting concerns about longer-term keep costs. It added that prices for rearing calves have caused pressure over recent months.
Regarding throughputs, AHDB figures found that numbers began picking up week-on-week at the end of July, particularly for 18-month-old animals. Despite this, numbers remained generally below 2021 levels across all age groups in August.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
