A small entry of 400 sheep met a fantastic trade in Kilkenny Mart on Monday, with wholesale buyers and live exporters locking horns and underpinning a price increase of upwards of €5 to €10/head.

The majority of sheep on offer were spring lambs, with a dozen batches selling from €250 to €256/head for 51kg lambs, while another 10 lots sold from €238 to €248/head.

Factory agents who were present didn’t get a look-in on proceedings, with prices in the ring well ahead of equivalent deadweight returns.

Wholesale buyers were the main customers for top-quality well-fleshed lambs, with live exporters ramping up activity for ram lambs batched together.

There were numerous standout prices, with 44kg ram lambs hitting €241 or a price of €5.48/kg. The majority of lambs on offer were heavier types weighing 48kg to 51kg, with very few lambs selling below a price of €230/head.

Heavy hoggets weighing from 55kg to 65kg-plus sold in the main from €220 to €230/head, with a few batches of plainer-quality types and lighter lots weighing 48kg to 52kg selling in the region of €200 to €215 on average.

This batch of 12 top-quality Suffolk lambs weighing 51kg sold for the top lamb price of €256 (€5.02/kg).

Weighing 49kg, these quality Suffolk lambs sold for €250/head (€5.10/kg).

These 48kg Charollais-cross ram lambs sold for €250 each (€5.21/kg).

Weighing 44kg, these Charollais ram lambs sold for €241/head (€5.48/kg).

These mixed breed ram lambs weighing 49kg sold for €246 (€5.02/kg).

This smaller batch of three lambs weighing 52kg sold for €255 (€4.90/kg).

This pair of lighter lambs weighing 38kg sold for €192 (€5.05/kg).

These wether hoggets weighing 65kg sold for €240 each (€3.69/kg).

Weighing 55kg, these four hoggets sold for €230 each (€4.18/kg).

These 53kg Charollais-cross hoggets sold for €233 (€4.21/kg).

These smaller-framed wether hoggets weighing 49kg sold for €201 (€4.10/kg).

At an average weight of 57kg, these crossbred hoggets sold for €228 (€4/kg).