Breeding sales are in full swing now. Mart managers are reporting the trade to be a little easier than last year.

Breeding hoggets are selling anywhere from €160/head to a top of €210/head. Lighter framed hoggets are selling back at prices of €160 to €170/head, with larger framed lots selling from €175 to €190/head.

Prices exceeding €190/head have been hard to come by so far this year.

Older second- and third-crop breeding ewes are selling from €130/head to €165/head, with prices dependant on the age and condition of the ewes.

Pedigree ram sales are also on going and the advice is to buy in rams early to allow more time to acclimatise to the new surroundings of your farm before breeding commences.

Factory agents and exporters have been extremely active over the past fortnight for factory-fit lambs.

The Muslim Eid al-Adha festival has been the main driver of the demand. The trade remains steady this week, with factory-fit lambs weighing 45kg to 49kg selling from €98 to €110/head. Lighter but fleshed lambs weighing 42kg to 44kg are selling from €94 to €98/head.

Store lambs

There are more store lamb buyers attending mart sales but this is not necessarily resulting in increased sale prices. The trade is varied, with some sales reporting prices steady on last week, while others have seen a dip in prices, leaving sellers disappointed with returns.

On average, lambs weighing 35kg to 39kg are selling from €75 to €80/head and lighter lambs weighing 30kg to 35kg are making €65 to €75/head.

Crossbred lambs are selling from €1.90/kg to €2/kg. Scotch-bred lambs are selling from €1.50/kg where the trade is poor up to €1.80/kg in sales experiencing a stronger trade.