The usual penalty—up to US$1 per kilo—for mutton carcasses over 24 kilos has dropped significantly. Driven by strong demand for bone-in meat in Israel, deals have been made for carcasses weighing up to 30 kilos with a discount of just 30 cents compared to the reference set by the Livestock Consignors’ Association. As a result, heavy-carcass ewes are currently priced at US$3.10 per kilo carcass weight. “That’s US$25-30 more per animal, which makes a big difference on a full truck,” an intermediary acknowledged yesterday. This has allowed smooth sales of these heavier animals, which previously were much harder to place. Adult sheep with carcasses up to 24 kilos are selling for US$3.40-3.50, while lambs fetch around US$4.20 per kilo carcass weight.
Sheep slaughter reached its highest level in the last three weeks. INAC reported that 20,442 sheep were slaughtered in the week ending February 1, about 5,000 more than the previous week, although 11% less than in the same week last year. Lambs were the main category, totaling 8,505 and representing a solid weekly increase of 3,448 head.
The most active plants were Frigocerro (7,376), Las Piedras (5,230), and San Jacinto (4,552).
