Tuesday’s sheep sale in Blessington Mart included a show and sale of Suffolk Cheviot hoggets and ewe lambs.

The trade for about 450 hoggets entered in the show and sale started off shaky, with only a few of the first 10 pens of hoggets selling on the first attempt. Prices for the lots that did sell ranged from €180 to €185, with lots not sold ranging in general from €160 to €170.

The trade thankfully turned a corner on the 11th pen, with the next 13 pens selling. Prices for good-quality Suffolk Cheviot hoggets with a good size and frame ranged from €180 to €190, with the first-prizewinning pen fetching the top price of €202, with a couple of pens between €190 and €200.

Lighter-framed hoggets sold from €170 to €180, with one pen of lighter Suffolk-cross hoggets selling back to €166. Hoggets entered in the general sheep sale ranged from €140 to €180, with quality having a big influence on price.

Ewe lambs were a sharper trade for good-quality lots, with a more variable trade for slightly lesser-quality types.

The general run of prices for the best-quality lots weighing 40kg-plus was €110 to €130, while the best-quality lighter lots weighing 35kg-plus sold from €95 to €105, with a standout price of €94 paid for a pen of good-quality ewe lambs weighing just 29kg.

The medium range of prices was €100 to €105 for lambs weighing 40kg to 50kg, while some lighter lots were bid to €90 to €100 but went unsold.

Cull ewes were a super trade. Large-framed fleshed ewes sold from €100 to €115, with a top price of €127. Lighter fleshed lots sold from €85 to €100, while good feeding types sold from €70 to €85, with the worst-quality aged ewes with very little flesh selling back to a good price of €61.

The lamb trade was steady, with fleshed factory lambs weighing 42kg to 46kg selling from €85 to €96 on average, while a couple of pens of heavier butcher-type lambs weighing 50kg sold from €105 to a top of €110.

Lighter store lambs sold in general from €2.00/kg for Cheviot types to €2.15/kg to €2.20/kg for better-quality lowland types.

See a range of photos from the show and sale and the general sheep sale at www.farmersjournal.ie.