While the hinterland of Kenmare Mart is green, the drought taking hold in other parts of the country is having a knock-on effect on the sheep trade here. Mart manager Dan McCarthy said: “The shortage of grass for buyers is the big problem. They don’t seem to want lambs until the weather changes and farmers are reluctant to sell at the moment, with numbers back on corresponding 2017 sales.”

According to Dan, this week’s sale was a bit livelier than the previous two weeks, with the best demand for lowland and lowland-cross lambs. Good-quality lowland ewe lambs sold to a top of €2.00/kg to €2.05/kg, with crossbred types and wether and ram lambs back to €1.80/kg to €1.90/kg.

Entries of Scotch or hill lambs have been low so far and are meeting a sluggish trade, with prices for heavier lots rising from a base of €1.50/kg, while light lambs sold upwards from as low as €1.15/kg to €1.20/kg. It is no surprise there is such negativity surrounding the impending introduction of EID tagging, with hill ram lambs selling as low as €30/head.

There was a good pickup in the trade for ewes, with heavier slaughter-fit ewes benefitting most. Cull ewes sold from €30 to €60 for hill ewes and crossbred feeding ewes, with heavier ewes selling to €90. Entry is 40c/head and commission rates are €1 each to the buyer and seller.