The top-priced pen of ewe lambs in Mountbellew Mart’s show and sale on Saturday were Milford x Suffolk speckle-faced lambs, which received first prize for speckle-faced lambs. Strong bidding from a number of interested parties pushed the sale price to €149.

The next highest price of €119 was paid for a pen of top-quality speckle-faced Texel x Suffolk cross lambs weighing 50.5kg.

The prize-winning pen of Suffolk ewe lambs weighing 46kg sold for €117.

ANC boost

There was a strong attendance of buyers for ewe lambs and store lambs. Mart chair Eamonn Moran said the fact that Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payments were received by farmers during the week helped with this. As the sale photos above show, the best ewe lambs suitable for breeding sold from €50 to €60 over the weight, with the best-quality types outside of those listed above rising to €65 over.

The trade for store lambs was also helped greatly by customers from the midlands in the market for large numbers of good-quality stores. The best demand was for good-quality tight-woolled ewe and wether lambs weighing 38kg to 40kg. Prices ranged in general from €83 to €85, with a few pens of lambs weighing up to 42kg selling to €87.

Lighter, lesser-quality lambs ranging in weight from 34kg to 37kg sold from €74 to €80, with a small number of poorer-quality lambs selling back to €65.

There was a small entry of factory-fit lambs, with prices for 48kg to 52kg lambs ranging from €94 to a top of €101 for the best-quality butcher-type lambs.

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