Store lambs were a flying trade at the first sale of 2024 in Plumbridge Mart last week. Lambs presented for sale were top-quality, with most pens showing some level of Texel and Suffolk breeding.

Lambs that had been wormed and dipped were returning £3 to £5 more, over animals that had yet to be covered for such tasks.

There was limited room ringside, as a big turnout of buyers and a good level of online buying interest saw strong prices paid throughout the sale.

As is the case with many store lamb sales, there was no weighing of animals before entering the sales ring.

That said, buyers were extremely active on good-quality, Texel-cross lambs, suited to a short four- to six-week finishing period. Prices paid on such lots regularly crossed the £100 mark, with the trade running to highs of £102 to £106.

Suffolk and Texel-cross stores in the region of 34kg to 38kg were also an easy sell, with prices consistently above £95.

Mule lambs in the same weight range were also in demand, but sold at prices closer to the £90 mark. Lighter lambs in the region of 30kg to 33kg were a mixed trade and prices paid were heavily reflective of quality. For good-quality Texel and Suffolk-cross pens with plenty of frame, prices were in the region of £84 to £88.

Plainer, smaller-framed lambs with a greater hill breeding influence saw prices settling around the £80 mark.

Cull ewes topped out at £102 for a pen of Suffolk Cheviot-cross animals, whereas Blackface and Mule types sold from £60 to £80. A limited entry of slaughter-fit lambs saw prices topping £119 for a pen weighing 23kg, easing back to £108 for a pen of ewe hoggets at similar weight.