A standout price at last Saturday’s sheep sale in Mountbellew Mart was €328 paid for a batch of five purebred ewes weighing 104.5kg and sold through the cull ring.
Another single Texel ewe weighing 100kg sold for €320/head.
There was a keen appetite for ewes, with heavier lots weighing from 90kg to 110kg selling in the main from €230 to €260/head. Lighter ewes weighing from 82kg to 88kg sold from €215 to €235, while ewes weighing around the 75kg mark sold from €185 to €205, depending on condition.
The sale included an offering of over 1,000 head. Numbers were boosted by buying for the Islamic religious festival of Eid al-Adha attracting higher numbers forward and the fact that the mart will be the venue for next weekend’s Shearfest shearing championships (Saturday 30 and Sunday 31) and, as such, no sale will be held.
Exporters
Live exporters were active ringside and online for suitable lots of ram lambs.
Ram lambs weighing around the 40kg to 43kg mark sold from €210 to €218 on average, with lambs weighing 45kg to 47kg selling from €222 to €230.
A few batches of heavier lots weighing upwards of 50kg sold from €235 to €246/head.
These prices trended about €8 to €15 higher than equivalent weight ewe lambs and mixed batches of ewe and ram lambs.
There was a small number of store lambs on offer, with three pens of crossbred lambs weighing 25kg to 27kg selling from €95 to €97/head.
Hogget numbers were stronger on Saturday, with hoggets weighing 50kg to 55kg selling on average from €185 to €200, while a few batches of ewe hoggets sold from €215 to €227/head.
Lighter lots weighing 43kg to 47kg sold from €3.60/kg to €3.90/kg liveweight.
Prices for ewes with lambs at foot were up on the previous week. First- to third-crop ewes with quality twin lambs sold from €350 to €400, with a few lots with strong lambs rising to as high as €450. Single-lamb lots sold from €180 to €240 per unit.
This batch of six ram lambs weighing 51kg sold for €240 each (€4.71/kg).
This pair of Charollais lambs on left weighing 38kg sold for €180 (€4.74/kg) while the six on right weighing 35kg sold for €170 (€4.86/kg).
The six lambs on left weighing 41.5kg sold for €193 each (€4.65/kg) while the 41.5kg ram lambs on right sold for €200 (€4.82/kg).
The pair of ram lambs weighing 46kg on left sold for €241 (€5.24/kg) while the Milford ram lamb weighing 50kg on right sold for €246 (€4.92/kg).
The five heavy ewes on left weighing 101kg sold for €249 (€2.47/kg). Five ewes weighing 84kg were bid to €211 (€2.51/kg) but not sold.
These 17 Charollais-cross lambs weighing 47kg sold for €227 (€4.83/kg).
Two pens of Charollais-cross ewe lambs numbering 28 head and weighing 43kg sold for €212 (€4.93/kg).
The five Texel-cross ewes on left 84kg sold for €227 (€2.70/kg). The three Texel-cross ewes on right weighing 82kg sold for €234 (€2.85/kg).
This crossbred wether hogget weighing 49.5kg sold for €195 (€3.94/kg). The pair of ewe hoggets on right weighing 64.5kg sold for €228 (€3.53/kg).
These three ram lambs weighing 52.2kg sold for €230 (€4.41/kg).
These seven lambs weighing 46.7kg sold for €221 (€4.73/kg).
The two shorn ewes weighing 113kg sold for €235 (€2.08/kg). The three unshorn ewes weighing 99kg sold for €224 (€2.26/kg).
These crossbred lambs weighing 27kg sold for €97 (€3.59/kg). The lambs weighing 25.5kg sold for €95 (€3.73/kg).
Four Charollais-cross ram lambs on left weighing 47kg sold for €235 each (€5/kg). The ewe lambs weighing 45kg on their right sold for €218 (€4.84/kg).
The single ewe on left weighing 112kg sold for €260 (€2.32/kg) while the five ewes on right weighing 64kg sold for €166 each (€2.59/kg).
This batch of four Charollais-cross ewes weighing 77kg sold for €150 (€1.95/kg).
These ram lambs weighing 52.2kg sold for €225 each (€4.31/kg).
The batch of 10 Charollais-cross lambs on left weighing 42kg sold for €200 while the five on right weighing 40kg sold for €190 (€4.75/kg).
These Texel-cross ewe hoggets weighing 63.5kg sold for €215 (€3.39/kg).
The Texel ram on left weighing 116.5kg sold for €200 while the purebred Texel ewe on right weighing 86kg sold for €260 (€3.02/kg).
Two pens of ram lambs totaling 33 head weighed 45.5kg on average and sold for €221 (€4.86/kg).
The three ewes on left weighing 83.5kg sold for €212 (€2.54/kg) while the three ewes on right weighing 84kg sold for €215 (€2.56/kg).
This batch of three Charollais-cross lambs weighing 45kg sold for €215 (€4.78/kg).
Weighing 58.2kg this batch of 10 hoggets sold for €190 (€3.26/kg).
This batch of 16 quality lambs weighing 47.5kg sold for €227 (€4.78/kg).