Demand for quality slaughter-fit lambs outstripped supply in Cahir Mart’s weekly sheep sale on Tuesday.

Wholesale or butcher buyers and factory agents locked horns throughout the sale for suitable sheep.

Lambs weighing in excess of 50kg sold in the main from €100 to €102 over the weight (€2.77/kg to €2.98/kg), with a couple of batches of excellent-quality lambs selling to €107 with the weight (€3.14/kg to €3.18/kg).

A couple of lighter batches of lambs weighing 47kg to 48kg also exceeded the €3/kg mark, selling from €95 to €97 with the weight.

Slightly lesser-quality lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg sold from €140 to €144, while fleshed lambs weighing 47kg sold from €138 to €140.

Lighter lambs

Prices paid for lighter lambs were strongly influenced by flesh cover, with lambs weighing 44kg to 46kg selling from €124 to €135.

Mart manager Jonathan O’Sullivan reported that the best demand in the store section is for shorter-keep lambs, with inclement weather denting demand for light hill lambs in particular.

“Rapidly depleting grass supplies, its poor feeding value and a reduced area of forage crops is taking its toll on the light lamb trade,” he said.

Lambs weighing 38kg to 42kg sold on average from €2.50/kg to €2.75/kg for lowland types, while a selection of crossbred types sold back to €2.30/kg to €2.40/kg.

Lighter lots weighing 30kg to 36kg sold on average from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg for lowland, polly crossbreds and hill ewe lambs.

Hill lambs

Hill lambs less than 30kg are a challenging trade, ranging from €1.80/kg to €2.10/kg for male lambs.

It was a similar trend for an entry of over 120 cull ewes. Scottish Blackface ewes (49kg to 60kg) sold in the main from 67c/kg to 98c/kg.

Heavier ewes weighing 63kg to 73kg sold from €1/kg to €1.30/kg, with a couple of batches of 80kg to 86kg ewes selling from €1.35/kg to €1.43/kg.

In pictures

This pair of cull ewes weighing 86kg sold for €123 (€1.43/kg).

This batch of seven ewe lambs weighing 47.2kg sold for €143 (€3.03/kg).

These five Charollais wether lambs weighing 52kg sold for €151 (€2.90/kg).

Weighing 63.3kg, these two- and three-year-old Cheviot breeding ewes sold for €76.

This group of 13 Scottish Blackface hogget ewes weighing 52.7kg sold for €112 (€2.13/kg).

This group of 10 mixed ewe, wether and ram lambs weighing 51.8kg sold for €154 (€2.97/kg).

This group of 10 light Suffolk-cross ewe lambs weighing 25.7kg sold for €64 (€2.49/kg).

This pen of eight Charollais-cross mixed ewe and wether lambs weighing 41.9kg sold for €127 (€3.03/kg).

These six crossbred ewe lambs weighing 47.6kg sold for €105 (€2.21/kg).

This batch of five mixed ewe and wether lambs weighing 36.2kg sold for €100 (€2.76/kg).

Five mixed ewe and wether lambs weighing 33kg sold for €80 (€2.42/kg).

This pen of five ewe lambs weighing 40.5kg sold for €110 (€2.72/kg).

This pair of ewe lambs weighing 56kg sold for €155 (€2.76/kg).