Hogget ewes were a steady trade at the 60th anniversary Borris Ewe Breeders show and sale in Carlow on Saturday.The first-prizewinners bred by Donal O’Brien made €300/head, down slightly from the €315/head paid for the equivalent pen in 2022.
Hogget ewes were a steady trade at the 60th anniversary Borris Ewe Breeders show and sale in Carlow on Saturday.
The first-prizewinners bred by Donal O’Brien made €300/head, down slightly from the €315/head paid for the equivalent pen in 2022.
There was a strong attendance from buyers at the 60th anniversary Borris Ewe Breeders show and sale.
Hogget ewe prices averaged between €210 and €220 generally, with plainer lots closer to €190/head and better quality reaching €280/head.
The famous Cheviot-cross-Suffolk breeding ewe drew buyers from all over, with several farmers from Northern Ireland down to fill loads.
These top prizewinning hogget ewes made €300/head and were bred by Donal O'Brien.
Several pens on the trot made €200 to €205/head, with value to be had towards the end of the sale.
Some lighter hogget ewes which would require a good flush of grass to be ready for the ram went unsold at €180 to €190/head.
These fifth-prizewinning hogget ewes made €285/head.
The top-prizewinning hogget ewe pens at the show and sale were:
1st Donal O’Brien, Aclare, Co Carlow.2nd Seamus Kelly, Ballytiglea, Borris, Co Carlow.3rd Bridget McCarthy, Knocksquire, Borris, Co Carlow.4th Pat Farrell, Kiltealy, Co Carlow.5th Tomás McCarthy, Knocksquire, Borris, Co Carlow. 
These whiter Cheviot-cross-Suffolk hogget ewes sold for €205/head.
Ewe lambs
While there was also a steady trade for quality and heavier ewe lambs, a number of lighter lots struggled to find bidders.
Some farmers present suggested the poor summer and high cost of meal as reasons why there were a number of ewe lamb lots weighing closer to 30kg than 40kg.
These second-prizewinning hogget ewes sold for €275/head.
That said, the best of the ewe lambs went for €280/head, while the majority made between €160 and €180/head.
The top prizewinning ewe lamb pens at the show and sale were:
1st Tomás McCarthy, Knocksquire, Borris, Co Carlow.2nd Bill Roberts, Glasslacken, Bunclody, Co Wexford.3rd Terence O’Neill, Rathgeran, St Mullins, Co Carlow.4th John Furlong, Coppenagh, Co Carlow.5th Cormac Morrissey, Rathnure, Co Wexford.
These 38kg ewe lambs made €165/head in Borris.
These hogget ewes sold for €220/head in Borris.
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