A slightly smaller entry of sheep in Manorhamilton Mart on Wednesday inserted more life in to an already lively trade for store and ewe lambs.

Store lamb prices averaged around the €3.60/kg to €3.70/kg mark for lambs in both the 30kg to 40kg weight category and 20kg to 30kg weight category.

The average price hides some variation depending on lamb quality. A high percentage of lambs in the 25kg to 30kg weight range were hill and hill-crosses.

Prices paid for smaller-framed and lighter-boned lambs ranged on average from €3.20/kg to €3.60/kg.

Lambs with greater scope to feed in to heavier weights or horned ewe lambs with breeding potential sold to upwards of €4/kg with the best-quality lots topping €4.50/kg. It was a similar trend for lambs weighing 30kg to 38kg with quality feeding in to a similar run in prices. While heavier lots sold from €3.30/kg to €3.80/kg.

Light lambs

Prices for light lambs are running upwards of 50c/kg higher year-on-year.

Wilfred Moffitt also reported a particularly sharp trade for good-quality lowland and crossbred ewe lambs.

He said that prices of up to €5/kg and higher were paid on numerous occasions for quality ewe lambs with the highlight of these being €264 paid for top-quality Cheviot ewe lambs.

Finished lamb prices edged up this week with the general run at last week’s sale being €165 to €168 paid for lambs weighing 50kg to 54kg.

Lighter lots weighing 45kg to 47kg sold from the mid-€140s to mid-€150s depending on flesh cover.

Keen demand for store lambs is boosting the trade for feeding ewes. Good-quality feeding and fleshed ewes weighing from 60kg to the low 70kg mark sold from €1.60/kg to €1.85/kg with the best-quality lots topping €2/kg. While plainer-quality and light hill ewes sold back to €1/kg to €1.30/kg.

The mart will hold a show and sale of bull weanlings on 29 September and a show and sale of heifer weanlings on 6 October.

This batch of Suffolk ram lambs weighing 40kg sold for €141 each (€3.53/kg).
These short-keep store lambs weighing 41kg sold for €140 each (€3.42/kg).
These 49kg crossbred lambs sold for €149 each (€3.04/kg).
These good-quality store lambs, including some ewe lambs, averaging 35kg sold for €138 (€3.94/kg).
These crossbred lambs, including horned ram lambs, weighing 33kg sold for €126 each (€3.82/kg).
This batch of top-quality Cheviot ewe lambs weighing 42kg topped the lamb sale at €264 each (€6.29/kg).
These lighter crossbred lambs weighing 27kg sold for €92 each (€3.41/kg).
Weighing an average of 33kg these lambs sold for €127 each (€3.85/kg).
This mixed batch of Suffolk-cross lambs weighing 34kg sold for €134 each (€4.06/kg).
These crossbred lambs averaging 34kg sold for €126 each (€3.71/kg).
This batch of 35 Charollais-cross lambs weighing 54kg sold for €165 each (€3.06/kg).