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Tullow Mart held a special clearance sale of a large flock of 450 ewes last Saturday. Ewes on offer were mainly Suffolk-cross-Cheviot types, with some Texel- and Charollais-crosses.
Lambing is due to commence from 1 March onwards, with ewes scanned with an average litter size of 1.9 lambs.
Two-year-old ewes which reared lambs as yearling hoggets were batched together, while the remaining ewes, aged three and four with some full mouth ewes, were mixed together. Ewes were also mixed on litter size, with many lots containing single-, twin- and triplet-bearing ewes, to give an average litter size of 1.9 lambs per ewe.
Positive trade
Mart manager Eric Driver said the trade was positive, particularly in light of such a large number of in-lamb ewes being offered and current weather presenting many challenges for farmers.
He said the fact that the flock was a good genuine flock attracted more interest, with a packed ringside in attendance.
The average price achieved was €165/head, with a 100% clearance rate. Prices ranged mainly from €155 to €170, with a few lots selling back to €150 and top prices reaching €188 for a pen of top-quality large-framed ewes.
The majority of ewes were purchased by farmers in the surrounding areas, with about 80 ewes purchased by a buyer from Meath.
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