Tuesday’s sale at Carnaross Mart saw another steady trade for lambs. Hugh McNern said that numbers are holding better than expected, but he thinks that there will be a slight drop-off in numbers in the coming weeks.

Butchers’ lambs sold to €112/head for 59kg, with several others selling for around the €100/head mark.

He added that factory demand for all good-quality fleshed lambs has been solid, with the main demand seeing prices range from €86 to €92/head, with some top-quality heavier types making up to €100/head.

There was a good entry of forward store lambs on offer over 40kg also and these sold mainly for around €2.00/kg.

There were some lighter stores on offer also and these sold mainly from €70 to €75/head, while some horned lambs sold for around €1.80/kg.

The cull ewe trade saw prices reach a top of €144/head, but the majority of fleshed ewes sold from €90 to €100/head, while second-quality types made from €60 to €85/head. Rams sold from €150 to €300 and demand was not as strong as previous years.

There was also a special pedigree sale of rams on behalf of Eamon Duffy. This outstanding entry saw prices top out at €2,300, while prices averaged €990/head for rams.