The sharpest trade in Athenry Mart’s weekly sheep sale on Monday was for cull ewes, with the trade holding solid on the previous week’s strong performance.

Well-fleshed lowland ewes sold in the main from €2.70/kg to €2.95/kg, with a selection of top-quality lots rising to and exceeding the €3/kg mark.

Plainer-quality types and ewes lacking flesh cover sold back to €2.20/kg to €2.50/kg, with less than a handful of lots below this range.

The trade for spring lambs was stickier than the previous week, with factory agents more coy in their purchasing behaviour.

Butcher buyers and factory agents were not willing to pass a price of €215 per head, with the end result of significant numbers of quality lambs weighing from 48kg to 52kg selling for €215 per head.

Lighter lots weighing 45kg to 47kg sold from €195 to €205 depending on quality. Lighter lambs weighing 42kg to 44kg ranged from €187 to €194, with a few lots below this range and unsold in the main sale.

Hoggets

A high percentage of the 900 sheep on offer were hoggets, some of which were presented at heavy weights.

Hoggets weighing from 57kg to in excess of 70kg sold in the main from €214 per head to €218 per head.

Some lesser-quality heavier hoggets sold from €207 to €212, while the general run of hoggets weighing around the 50kg mark ranged from €190 to €202, with quality again having a large influence on prices paid.

Lighter store hoggets weighing 40kg to 43kg sold in a tight price range of €165 to €172 per head.

In pictures

Two lambs on left weighing 43kg sold for €200 while the four lambs on right weighing 51kg sold for €215 (€4.22/kg).

These five top-quality Charollais-cross lambs weighing 50kg sold for €215 (€4.30/kg).

Weighing 45kg, these Charollais-cross lambs were bid to €199 but were not sold.

This pen of good-quality Suffolk lambs weighing 47kg sold for €215 (€4.57/kg).

These crossbred hoggets weighing 48.5kg sold for €188 each.

The two ewes on left weighing 95kg sold for €270 each.

These four large-framed ewes weighing 97kg sold for €280 each.

These six cull ewes weighing 81kg sold for €240 each.

These Suffolk ee hoggets weighing 57kg sold for €217 each.

These two pens of mixed breed hoggets weighing 57kg sold for €214 each.

These ewe hoggets weighing 48kg on average sold for €190 each.

This batch of 50kg hoggets sold for €190 each.

This batch of 11 Suffolk-cross and Texel-cross lambs weighing 44kg sold for €190 (€4.32/kg).

These seven lambs weighing 49kg sold for €215 each.

Weighing 49kg, these six lambs sold for €210 each (€4.29/kg).