Mountbellew Mart’s weekly sheep sale on Saturday witnessed a sharp trade for any slaughter-fit sheep.
Prices paid for heavier lambs exceeded equivalent factory quotes with a number of agents competing with greater intensity and lifting prices by an average of €1 to €3 per head on the previous week.
The standout trade was for top-quality lambs weighing in excess of 48kg.
A number of batches of quality fleshed lambs weighing 50kg to 52kg sold from €163 to €170 while heavier lots weighing 54kg to 55kg sold to €176 and a top of €180 for two ram lambs weighing 57kg.
Lambs weighing 48kg to 49kg sold from €155 to €163 depending on flesh cover.
Flesh cover
Flesh cover had a greater say in prices paid for lambs weighing 45kg to 47kg with a differential of up to €10 per head evident between fleshed lambs and those lacking flesh cover. The general run of prices for lambs with an average to good cover of flesh was from €142 to €148 with a couple of batches of top-quality lots with a good kill-out potential selling to €152 to €154 per head.
Factory agents were active for lambs weighing back to 40kg such was the appetite for slaughter-fit sheep. Fleshed lots weighing 40kg to 42kg sold from €135 to €142 with lesser-quality lambs lacking flesh back to €130 per head.
Store lambs
There was also keener demand for store lambs with a number of new customers active. Lighter well-presented lowland lambs weighing 32kg to 34kg sold from €118 to €126 on average, with plainer-quality lots back to €110 per head. There was a narrow differential between such lambs and lambs weighing a few kilos heavier with prices ranging from €122 to €128 and upwards of €130 for store lambs weighing up to 39kg to 40kg and lacking flesh cover.
Breeding hoggets
There was three batches of ewe hoggets on offer and these also sold sharply. A batch of medium-sized Suffolk ewe hoggets sold for a remarkable price of €300 per head while two batches of Texel / Bluefaced Leicester-cross ewe hoggets sold for €255 each.
Two batches of large-framed Texel-cross and Bluefaced Leicester-cross ewe hoggets sold for €255 each.
This pen of medium-sized Suffolk ewe hoggets sold for €300 per head.
The four top-quality Texel-cross ram lambs on left weighing 54kg sold for €174 each while the six quality ram lambs and one ewe lamb on right weighed 49.5kg and sold for €164 each.
The batch of 10 mixed lambs on the left weighing 41.5kg sold for €137 while the two ewe lambs weighing 38kg on the right sold for €136 each.
This pen of 12 top-quality Charollais-cross lambs weighing 46.8kg sold for €152 each.
The batch of 10 mixed lambs weighing 41.6kg at back sold for €137 while the two well-fleshed ram lambs weighing 57kg on front sold for €180 each.
This batch of 10 Charollais-cross lambs weighing 34.5kg sold for €128 each.
This batch of Suffolk-cross lambs weighing 42.5kg sold for €131 each.
Weighing 45kg on average, this batch of 16 Suffolk-cross and Charollais-cross ram lambs sold for €142 each.
Mountbellew Mart’s weekly sheep sale on Saturday witnessed a sharp trade for any slaughter-fit sheep.
Prices paid for heavier lambs exceeded equivalent factory quotes with a number of agents competing with greater intensity and lifting prices by an average of €1 to €3 per head on the previous week.
The standout trade was for top-quality lambs weighing in excess of 48kg.
A number of batches of quality fleshed lambs weighing 50kg to 52kg sold from €163 to €170 while heavier lots weighing 54kg to 55kg sold to €176 and a top of €180 for two ram lambs weighing 57kg.
Lambs weighing 48kg to 49kg sold from €155 to €163 depending on flesh cover.
Flesh cover
Flesh cover had a greater say in prices paid for lambs weighing 45kg to 47kg with a differential of up to €10 per head evident between fleshed lambs and those lacking flesh cover. The general run of prices for lambs with an average to good cover of flesh was from €142 to €148 with a couple of batches of top-quality lots with a good kill-out potential selling to €152 to €154 per head.
Factory agents were active for lambs weighing back to 40kg such was the appetite for slaughter-fit sheep. Fleshed lots weighing 40kg to 42kg sold from €135 to €142 with lesser-quality lambs lacking flesh back to €130 per head.
Store lambs
There was also keener demand for store lambs with a number of new customers active. Lighter well-presented lowland lambs weighing 32kg to 34kg sold from €118 to €126 on average, with plainer-quality lots back to €110 per head. There was a narrow differential between such lambs and lambs weighing a few kilos heavier with prices ranging from €122 to €128 and upwards of €130 for store lambs weighing up to 39kg to 40kg and lacking flesh cover.
Breeding hoggets
There was three batches of ewe hoggets on offer and these also sold sharply. A batch of medium-sized Suffolk ewe hoggets sold for a remarkable price of €300 per head while two batches of Texel / Bluefaced Leicester-cross ewe hoggets sold for €255 each.
Two batches of large-framed Texel-cross and Bluefaced Leicester-cross ewe hoggets sold for €255 each.
This pen of medium-sized Suffolk ewe hoggets sold for €300 per head.
The four top-quality Texel-cross ram lambs on left weighing 54kg sold for €174 each while the six quality ram lambs and one ewe lamb on right weighed 49.5kg and sold for €164 each.
The batch of 10 mixed lambs on the left weighing 41.5kg sold for €137 while the two ewe lambs weighing 38kg on the right sold for €136 each.
This pen of 12 top-quality Charollais-cross lambs weighing 46.8kg sold for €152 each.
The batch of 10 mixed lambs weighing 41.6kg at back sold for €137 while the two well-fleshed ram lambs weighing 57kg on front sold for €180 each.
This batch of 10 Charollais-cross lambs weighing 34.5kg sold for €128 each.
This batch of Suffolk-cross lambs weighing 42.5kg sold for €131 each.
Weighing 45kg on average, this batch of 16 Suffolk-cross and Charollais-cross ram lambs sold for €142 each.
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