There was over 300 sheep at Monday night’s weekly sheep sale in Golden Vale Mart, Carrigallen.

Plenty of factory agents operating both ringside and online kept the trade lively. There was also good butcher and wholesaler demand for heavier lambs.

A stabilising of the factory trade meant prices were relatively unchanged on the previous week.

A top call of €170/head went to a pen of seven Texel-cross lambs weighing 56kg. This was followed by a pen of six Charollais-cross ewe lambs making €167/head weighing 52kg.

Lambs in the 48kg to 50kg bracket were making from €150 to €170.

Cull ewes

Cull ewes were also a solid trade, with a few lots of strong Suffolk-cross ewes weighing around 90kg selling for €170 to €180/head.

Factory lambs in the 45kg to 48kg bracket were making between €140 and €150/head. Lighter lambs just under 45kg were making €130 to €140/head. Good farmer demand for store lambs meant lambs around 40kg were making up to €130/head.

Mart manager Helen Kells said: “We noticed more buyer activity this week with farmers starting to purchase to graze after grass on farms.”

In pictures

This pen of three cull ewes weighed 90kg and sold for €174/head.

This pen of four Suffolk-cross-Texel hoggets weighed 56kg and sold for €160/head.

This pen of three ram lambs weighed 48kg and sold for €149/head.

This mixed pen of ram lambs and ewe lambs weighed 56kg and sold for €170/head.

This mixed pen of 13 Charollais-cross ram lambs and ewe lambs weighed 51.2kg and sold for €162/head.