A number of special breeding sales held in the last week including Cheviot ewe hoggets, lambs and mature ewes have recorded prices increasing anywhere from €15 to €30 per head on 2018 levels.

Good-quality Cheviot ewe hoggets sold from €150 to €232 per head at Tuesday’s Wicklow Cheviot Sheep Owners’ sale in Blessington Mart.

A similar trade was recorded at the Aughrim Sheep Breeders Association sale on Friday in Carnew Mart.

The general run of hoggets sold from €150 to €180, with a selection also rising to a top of €230 per head.

Ewe lambs recorded a similarly sharp trade. Both sales recorded prices over €200 for ewe lambs.

Cheviot ewe lambs sold for up to €207 in Blessington, while the general run of prices ranged from €107 to €130.

The hammer fell at €202 for a pen of Suffolk-Cheviot cross ewe lambs in Carnew. Average prices ranged from €110 to €130 for Cheviot ewe lambs and €120 to €150 for Suffolk-Cheviot crosses.

There are a number of factors helping to lift prices.

Carnew Mart manager David Quinn said the stronger trade for Suffolk-Cheviot crossbred females this year has driven demand for Cheviot sheep. More farmers have moved into crossbred stock in recent years and reduced the rate of pure breeding. This is a view echoed by Blessington Mart manager John Doyle, who said that numbers are getting tighter each year as fewer flocks run on the hills and more incentives are required to entice young farmers into sheep farming.

Demand for breeding sheep has also been stronger this year, with reports suggesting that some mixed livestock farmers who had toyed with the idea of cutting back numbers are sticking with sheep due to weaker prospects at present for suckler and beef farming.