Camera at the Mart: heavy cull ewes hit a high in Milford

The change of sale date due to St Patrick's Day didn’t deter buyer or sellers in Milford Mart this week.

The entry of sheep was strong, with just under 700 present in the sales yard and this high-quality entry was met with an even stronger demand from ringside buyers.

This high level of demand led to an overall sale clearance rate of 95%.

Heavy cull ewes were extremely highly sought after on the night by ringside buyers, leading to a price of €375 being paid for a pen of four cull ewes that weighed 115kg.

There was a large number of ewes that sold over €3/kg on the night, with a high of €3.70/kg being paid for cull ewes. The majority of cull ewes sold from €200 to €340, with some lighter hill type cull ewes selling for less.

Grass buyers

Ewes and lambs were also highly sought after by grass buyers. The section was topped by a ewe and two lambs that sold for €445.

The majority of ewes with lambs at foot sold from €300 to €400, depending on ewe age and how many lambs they had.

The number of hoggets present was slightly lower than previous weeks, but quality hoggets were still in high demand.

The largest number of hoggets present weighed over 50kg and they sold from €204 to €213.

There was a much smaller number of hoggets weighing 40kg to 50kg than previous weeks, but the quality of these hoggets was high and they sold from €160 to €205.

The quality of hoggets weighing 30kg to 40kg was also higher than previous weeks and this led them to sell from €130 to €176.

There were few hoggets on the night weighing less than 30kg, but they were highly sought after and sold from €80 to €133 depending on quality.