Torrential rain and strong winds curtailed the entry of sheep at Saturday’s sale. With factory agents anxious to source numbers and butcher demand also firm, those who presented sheep were rewarded.

The sharpest trade was for well-fleshed hoggets, which also attracted butcher interest. Standout prices were the top price of €137 paid for 59kg hoggets and €131 paid for well-conformed 46.3kg Texel hoggets while a few other pens exceeding 54kg sold for €130.

Factory hoggets weighing in the region of 50kg sold from €120 for fleshed crossbred hoggets to €125-€128 for lowland types. Lots weighing 43kg to 45kg sold for €115 on average.

Medium-sized fleshed ewes sold from €105 to €115 on average, with large-framed fleshed ewes selling from €120 to €132. A selection of plainer quality lots sold back to €90 with a small number of ewes lacking flesh from €40 to €45.

Two aged ewes with strong twin lambs at foot sold for €240 while a broken mouth ewe with young triplet lambs sold for €215. A couple of poorer-quality broken mouth ewes with light lambs sold from €130 to €150.

Demand for an entry of medium-sized in-lamb Suffolk hoggets lambing from 01 April to a Texel cross ram was relatively sluggish. Twin and triplet bearing ewes sold from €150 to €165.

Commission rates are €2 to the seller and €1.44 to the buyer.