A number of the country’s large ewe hogget and ewe lamb breeding groups have met in the last week to set their 2020 sale dates.

Tullow Sheep Breeders Association

The first sale taking place is the Tullow Sheep Breeders Association premier sale of ewe hoggets and ewe lambs and will be held on Wednesday 5 August in Tullow Mart.

The current plan to adhere to coronavirus regulations is to have all stock penned by 9am, with viewing for prospective buyers from 10am to 11am. This will be followed by the sale at 11am, with bidding taking place ringside and online.

The group’s second show and sale will take place on Wednesday 26 August while the third sale takes place on Wednesday 09 September.

Mayo Mule and Greyface Group

Mayo Mule and Greyface Group PRO David Prendergast says there will be upwards of 5,000 sheep offered to farmers across four sale dates.

The first of these are back-to-back sales on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 August, with hoggets sold on the Friday and ewe lambs on the Saturday.

The second sale is following a new format for 2020, with an evening sale held on Monday 7 September at 6pm, while the third breeding sale will take place on Friday 25 September.

All sales will take place in Aurivo Marts, Ballinrobe, and will be streamed online via the MartBids online sales platform.

David says the group will also be developing a web-based catalogue where sheep can be viewed prior to the sale.

As a condition of sale entry, the group has mandatory clostridial disease vaccination and this will remain in place for 2020, with all sheep treated on a programme with Heptavac–P.

Donegal Mule Group

Meanwhile, the Donegal Mule Group is holding one sale within its own county and another in Wicklow in 2020.

The first sale takes place on 28 August in Ballybofey Stranorlar Mart commencing at 6pm and will include primarily ewe lambs along with some hoggets.

The second sale takes place in Carnew Mart, Co Wicklow, on 18 September 2020. Group member Kieran McGrath said the decision to hold a sale in Carnew comes on the back of a successful outing in the mart in 2019.

“We had a lot of buyers come to Donegal from the east and southeast in 2019 for our first sale in 2019. We held a clearance sale as a trial in Wicklow and were pleasantly surprised by the level of interest.

"So this year we have decided to try and build on this interest and bring the sheep to Wicklow to service buyers who want to purchase but who may not be in a position to travel to the first sale in Donegal.”