Stranorlar Mart hosted its final sheep sale for 2024 on Thursday 12 December.
There was a strong entry of 804 sheep present in the sales yard on the day.
The entry was mostly made up of lambs, cull ewes, a small number of rams and ewes with lambs at foot.
Bidding was extremely active both from the ringside and online, leading to an overall sale clearance of 98%.
The sale was topped at €400 for a Dorset ewe with a pair of lambs at foot.
There was a total of seven lots of ewe and lambs present and they sold from €260 for a ewe with a single to €400 for a ewe with a pair.
The demand was extremely high for all types of cull ewes from the ringside with bidders battling it out.
Well-fleshed well-bred ewes were especially sought after. The cull ewe section topped at €345 for a 94kg pedigree Texel ewe.
The majority of cull ewes on offer at the sale sold from €98 to €221, with a small number of light cull hill ewes selling for less.
There was a small number of rams in the sales yard. They were mostly cull rams and sold from €130 to €170.
With factory prices rising week on week, lamb prices in the sales ring were also up on the previous weeks.
Lamb prices topped at €209 for a pair of ram lambs weighing 59kg.
A total of eight lots of lambs sold for €200 or more, all of which weighed over 50kg.
Lambs weighing from 40kg to 50kg were in high demand and all lots in this weight category were well fleshed. They sold from €146 to €189.
The largest entry of lambs was in the 30kg to 40kg category.
These lambs were more mixed in flesh coverings and breeds, but remained in high demand from the ringside and online buyers. The majority of these lambs sold from €122 to €154.
There was a slightly smaller number of lambs weighing from 20kg to 30kg present than previous weeks. These lambs sold from €74 to €108.
Lambs weighing between 20kg and 30kg have been highly sought after all year and this sale was no different.
Mart manager Brian Crawford commented: “The number of sheep through the sales ring this year has been extremely strong.
“With prices rising week on week, it is leading to a positive outlook for 2025 for the whole sheep sector.”
