The strong start to the trade for breeding sheep continued on Saturday at Ballymena mart for the annual sale of Mule and Greyface hoggets. Overall, 2,505 hoggets sold to an average price of £138, up £17 on the same sale last year.

Topping the sale at £220, and placed first in the Mule show beforehand, was the top pen shown by William Crawford from Newtonstewart.

In total, he sold 99 mostly sucked Mule hoggets, and received the top six highest prices for Mules on the day and the highest seller’s average of £181.

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Following was Diane Gibson from Newtonabbey, with the second highest price of £178 for 10 Mule hoggets, and then the second highest seller’s average of £150 for her 169 hoggets.

Second place in the Mule show was Dessie Gray from Limavady with a pen that made £170, while Victor Anderson from Cloughmills received £168 for the third-placed pen of Mule hoggets.

Demand eased at stages during the sale with some pens passed by sellers. Patrick Donnelly from Rathkenny did not sell five of his nine pens of Mules in the ring, including his top pen at £145, which were placed fourth in the Mule show.

A smaller show of Greyface hoggets were also on offer. Dessie Gray received £152 for the second place pen in the Greyface show and £150 for his next pen. Ian McCluggage from Glarryford also received £152 and £150 for his top Greyface pens.

J Cameron from Broughshane took first place with his pen of 18 Greyface hoggets that later sold for £128.

Ewe lambs

Ewe lambs met a strong demand from bidders in the far ring, with 749 selling to an average price of £104, up £5 on last year’s sale.

Sandra Hunter from Bushmills topped the sale at £180 with her pen of 10 ewe lambs that were placed second in the Suffolk Cheviot show beforehand. Selling immediately after this at £175 were the show winners and second highest selling pen of Suffolk Cheviot ewe lambs from N and M Walsh, Rathfriland. Overall, the Walshs’ 91 lambs sold for the highest seller’s average in the ewe lamb ring of £118.

James Alexander from Toome sold two pens of Suffolk lambs bred out of Cheviot Mule ewes for the next highest price of £140.