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Last Saturday’s sheep sale in Carndonagh Mart was significantly smaller than the previous sale. Mart manager Harry Molloy gave one reason for the smaller entry, saying some farmers operating mid-season lambing systems pushed out the last of their hoggets in the previous sale to clear the decks before lambing commenced.
Other hill farmers are left with smaller numbers, with some of these producers also selling the last of their hoggets on Saturday.
This gave the sale a mixed entry of good-quality slaughter-fit hoggets and tail-end supplies.
No change in prices
Prices were unchanged on the previous sale, despite factories trying to ease prices paid in recent days by 5c/kg or a top of €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg.
Good-quality fleshed hoggets weighing 48kg to 50kg sold from €100 to €107 in general.
Factory agents were active for heavy hoggets, but at a price, with a couple of crossbred lots weighing 60kg selling for €108 to €109, while the top price of €112 was paid for two Suffolk hoggets weighing 60kg.
Hoggets weighing 45kg to 47kg attracted firm demand, selling from €96 to €100.
Ewe hoggets suitable for breeding attracted a price premium, selling from €55 to €60 over the weight for lowland types.
Light hoggets needing considerable feeding are becoming a tougher sell, which is understandable given that the window for finishing is reducing. Scotch hoggets weighing 30kg to 34kg sold in general from €1.80/kg to €2/kg.
Again, Scotch ewe hoggets suitable for breeding were capable of attracting a price premium, with lots weighing 30kg to 34kg selling from €2/kg to €2.20/kg for better-quality types.
These Scotch and crossbred ewe hoggets weighed 32kg to 34kg and sold from €63.50 to €72.50 (€1.91/kg to €2.27/kg).
Blackface ewes
The sale also included a clearance sale of a hill flock of Scottish Blackface ewes.
Lambing in April to a Scotch ram and all scanned carrying a single lamb, three-year-old ewes sold for €83 to €87, four-year-olds sold from €74 to €75, while a pen of broken mouth ewes sold for €56.50.
A pen of two-year-old ewes lambing to a Suffolk ram sold for €110 each.
A pen of three-year-old Scotch ewes carrying a single lamb and due to a Scotch ram in April sold for €83.
In-lamb hoggets
There was also a good entry of in-lamb ewe hoggets.
Demand was firm for good-quality lots, with an entry from one seller ranging from €140 to €184 for good-quality hoggets carrying a lamb and a half and lambing from 24 March onwards.
There was poor demand for lesser-quality lots, with some bid to equivalent prices for slaughter-finished hoggets and unsold.
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