Store sheep values have remained strong throughout spring

Add in the buoyant trade for prime old and new season lambs and auctioneers believe the demand for sheep will remain positive through to the breeding sales in the back end.

According to Dingwall and Highland Marts’ senior sheep auctioneer Luke Holmes, store sheep values have remained buoyant throughout the spring.

“Store hoggs saw a strong start to the year with buyers now showing particular interest in heavy hoggs as the season begins to draw to a close,” he told The Scottish Farmer.

“There has been a real drive to sell the top end of hoggs at the 30-35kg mark for the end of May,” he explained, adding that prices peaked at £150 per head for Texel crosses at the firm’s last sale due to increased grass growth in many areas.

However, he stressed that there are fewer old season lambs coming through the mart to buy compared to this time last year, due to the dry summer of 2025.

“There were more sheep sold in the back end as stores due to the dry summer, as people didn’t have the grass to take them through to the following year,” he said.

Mr Holmes added that store sheep have been good to sell all year when the fat trade has remained solid, particularly between the months of March and May, aided by several religious festivals and holidays.

Just as importantly, he believes the export demand should remain firm in the coming months due to the ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting European supply chains.

Furthermore, while unsettled weather conditions have slowed grass growth and affected new season lamb performance in some areas, he said the overall outlook for the sheep trade remains positive.

Backing up these statements are the latest figures from AHDB which point out that finished old season lamb values are at historically high levels. For the week ending May 9, the OSL SQQ was 836.9p per kg which is more than 150p per deadweight kg above last year’s level and the five-year average.

Peter Wood, director and sheep auctioneer at United Auctions, Stirling, is also confident the sheep trade will remain firm in the coming weeks, particularly for hoggs.

He added that the market has seen a significant boost over the past seven to eight weeks, driven partly by increased demand around spring festivals.

“Hoggs have taken a big lift in terms of price in recent weeks, and there has been a strong demand for them even when there are not the numbers available which will help the trade through to July when we start to see spring lambs coming forward in any quantity. What hoggs are available out there will definitely be wanted,” he added.

Mr Wood said that hogg numbers could tighten more quickly this year due to the challenging winter and early spring conditions which meant that many producers would have sold earlier rather than keep hoggs on to finish when feed and production costs have soared due to the ongoing war between Iran and America.

“Sheep prices have remained steady for most of the year and with increased confidence within the sector, the industry appears to be in a good place.

Breeding sheep were up a lot on the year, last year, and when finished and store values remain as positive as they are, the demand for breeding females should follow through in the back end,” concluded Mr Wood.