Ewe lambs were a good trade at the annual Torr sale held at Armoy livestock mart on Saturday. Mart manager Danny McAllister said that the quality of ewe lambs on offer was excellent which was reflected in buyer demand. A total of 2,490 lambs were presented for sale.

Demand was strongest for Mule ewe lambs, which sold to £108/head. Suffolk Cheviot lambs sold to similar prices, with the vast majority of lots crossing the £100 mark.

Texel cross ewe lambs were an easier trade and sold from £80 to £90 per head. Ram lambs sold to £74 per head for a pen of Suffolks.

On Monday, Armoy Mart held another sale of breeding ewe lambs, with 4,000 sheep on show. Prices hit a peak of £185 on two occasions for Suffolk ewe lambs. The sale averaged £106 per head.

Hoggets

The weekly sheep sale at Ballymena livestock mart saw strong demand for breeding hoggets, which sold to a top price of £200 per head for Texel-bred sheep. Ewe lambs sold to £120 per head, with store lambs selling to £71.

In Swatragh, breeding hoggets sold to £130 for Suffolk animals, with ewe lambs making £111 per head.