On Tuesday last, Tullow Mart held its first sheep sale of the new year.

The trade was described as much livelier, with buyers keen to replenish supplies after the Christmas break.

This resulted in higher levels of competition, as the number of sales taking place so far has been minimal.

Like before Christmas, the best demand has been for well-fleshed types, with heavy lambs carrying a little less flesh at the lower end of prices.

Mart manager Eric Driver said that heavy fleshed hoggets over 50kg sold from €110 to €120 per head, with the majority falling within a price range of €112 to €118, which was received for 51kg hoggets.

With strong demand for slaughter-fit stock, buyers were also very active for lighter slaughter-fit lambs.

Fleshed lambs over 45kg were reported to be selling from €102 to €112, with the majority making from €104 to €108 per head.

The brisk trade for slaughter-fit sheep also inserted greater optimism in to the store trade.

Store hoggets over 40kg met good farmer demand, selling from €90 to €102, with a high percentage reported as falling within the €94 to €98 price bracket, while the lightest store lambs on offer sold for upwards of €75.

Demand for cull ewes strengthened prior to Christmas and the trade picked up where it left off.

Demand continues to be strongest for all good-quality cull ewes carrying flesh, but buyers are present at sales for thinner and lesser-quality types also.

Prices in the main are holding steady on where they were before Christmas.

Feeding ewes sold from €1/kg to €1.50/kg, with the best demand for younger fit types.

Heavy ewes also sold in a brisk trade, with top prices rising to €120 to €135 for large-framed ewes weighing up to 110kg. There was also an entry of two-, three- and four-year-old ewes carrying 1.8 lambs, with prices ranging from €140 to €160.

Tullow Mart has a dispersal sale of 180 Belclare-cross ewes on Tuesday 16 January at 12.30pm. The flock is being sold due to a change of farming system, with ewes scanning approximately 1.7 lambs.

Tuam Mart’s sale on Tuesday evening was also greatly improved on the pre-Christmas period. Strong purchasing activity from butchers and wholesalers lifted prices to a top of €120 to €122 paid for 54kg lambs, with lambs over 50kg selling from €110 to €120.