Ballinasloe Mart’s sheep sale on Thursday included a larger entry of 1,000 head. Manager Eilish Curley said demand for store lambs and cull ewes was a bright aspect of the trade. Store lambs weighing 32kg to 35kg sold on average from €70 to €75 for nice-quality lowland stores with a few lots exceeding this range.

These top-quality Suffolk ewe lambs weighing 42kg sold for €105.

Lambs weighing 38kg to 40kg sold from €75 to €85 or from €2/kg to €2.15/kg, with ewe lambs and wether lambs securing a price premium over ram lambs and selling in cases to €2.30/kg.

These suffolk ewe hoggets sold for €176.

A price range of €93 to €98 accounted for the majority of finished lambs with a small selection rising to and exceeding €100 per head.

This pen of 12 Texel-cross ewe lambs sold for €82.

Demand is building earlier in the season for ewe hoggets with buyers boosted by grass supplies and cull ewe prices. Eilish reported an entry of 15 pens selling in a brisk trade with the majority selling from €160 to €180 while a couple of lighter lots sold back €150 per head.

This pen of 15 Texel store ram lambs sold for €80.

Lowland cull ewes with a good cover of flesh easily topped the €100 mark with heavy large-framed ewes selling to a top of €120 to €130 per head. Feeding ewes sold back to €70 to €85 for lots with an average cover of flesh with very little below this.

Commission rates are €1.50 to the seller and €1 per head to the buyer.

These nice-quality Texel cross ewe hoggets sold for €172.