Donegal Mart’s sheep sale on Friday was smaller than normal for the time of year, with farmers carrying out field work in the fine weather. There was solid demand for the entry of about 200 sheep, with strong grass growth rates underpinning demand for ewes with lambs at foot, while the upturn in factory prices added more bite for slaughter-fit sheep.

Spring lambs are in tight supply, with manager Eimear McGuinness commenting that lamb entries generally start to increase significantly from July as store lambs appear. Prior to this, a good percentage of slaughter-fit lambs are traded through the mart’s lamb producer group. The two lots that were on offer weighed over 40kg and sold for €121 and €123. There was also some tail-end hoggets on offer and lots weighing from 37kg to 45kg sold from €90 to €125, while light breeding-quality Scottish Blackface ewe hoggets sold upwards of €80.

Ewes with lambs at foot sold from €80 to €130 for Scotch ewes, while lowland ewes with a lamb and a half to two lambs sold from €150 to a top of €232 for the Cheviot ewes pictured. Light Scotch and crossbred cull ewes sold from €52 to €76, while slaughter-fit lowland ewes sold on average from €84 to €108. Sales alternate fortnightly in summer with a cattle sale on Friday 15 June. Commission rates are €1.80/head to the seller and €1.50/head to the buyer.