Easter falling earlier and some of the worst winter weather conditions on record have posed considerable challenges and added significantly higher costs for spring lamb producers. Despite these difficulties, there were excellent-quality spring lambs on offer at last Monday’s sheep sale in Athenry Mart.

Butcher buyers sourcing lambs for the Easter trade were most active for the quality lambs on offer. Young fleshed lambs weighing 40kg to 44kg sold from €125 to €140/head, with the top price on the day of €150 paid for three top-quality Suffolk-cross spring lambs weighing 49kg. A small number of lighter lots lacking flesh sold back to €110/head, while a pen of fleshed light lambs weighing 33kg sold for €100.

Wholesale and factory agents were the main buyers for a significant number of aged spring lambs, some of which were showing the effects of the tough spring.

Prices were variable, with lambs weighing 45kg to 50kg selling from €135 to €140/head. Heavy aged lambs weighing between 55kg and 60kg sold from €130 to €138, with buyers willing to compete but at a lower price/kg.

There was a larger entry of hoggets on offer compared with previous weeks. Manager Alan Barry said there were two reasons behind the rise in throughput – there is no sale next Monday due to 1916 commemorations in Athenry, while some farmers targeted the sale in anticipation of higher demand for the Easter trade.

The latter was evident and firm demand from factory agents and butcher or wholesale buyers ensured a steady trade for the higher offering.

Good-quality fleshed hoggets weighing 48kg to 52kg sold on average from €125 to €132/head, with only small numbers of excellent-quality lots exceeding this range.

Similar weight hoggets with a lower cover of flesh sold from €120 to €125, while store hoggets weighing 40kg to 45kg sold from €100 to €110/head, with a reducing number of buyers for these types of hoggets.

The cull ewe trade remains firm. Alan says a feature of sales in recent years has been farmers offloading cull ewes faster to take advantage of higher prices on offer.

Fleshed lowland ewes sold in general from €100 to €115/head, with a small number of higher quality lots to €125.

Ewes with an average cover of flesh sold from €80 to €100, with only very poor-quality ewes selling below €70/head.

Demand exceeded supply, with only a handful of pens of ewes with lambs at foot.

Third-crop ewes with two lambs at foot sold around the €250 mark, while ewes with single lambs at foot sold from €180 to €200.

See www.farmersjournal.ie for photos of 16 further sale lots of lambs, hoggets and ewes with lambs at foot.