The trade at the recent Tullow Sheep Breeders Association sale exceeded all expectations, with prices averaging at €245 for hoggets and approximately €160 for ewe lambs.

In recent years, ewe lambs have been the highlight of the sale, but they were overshadowed by hoggets in the association’s 36th annual sale.

Just one of the 80 lots on offer sold below €200 at a price of €195/head.

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Lighter lots increased in price by an average of €20/head, with in excess of 40% of the sale entry trading from €200 to €235/head.

Larger hoggets

Large-framed and stronger hoggets increased in price in cases by €30 to €40, opening up a greater differential between lighter lots and the best-quality types on offer.

Another 40% of the sale sold from €240 to €275, with the remaining lots trading from €280 to a top of €330/head.

In total, four lots surpassed the €300 mark, setting a new record in Tullow Mart for the breed.

High resale value

Commenting on the sale, mart manager Eric Driver said that the high resale value of the Suffolk-Cheviot-cross ewes is a feature of the stronger prices paid in recent years.

“There was a clear indication today that buying good on day one delivers when selling.

“The breeding credentials of the Tullow ewe are well known, but the strong cull ewe value is also now a big attraction for buyers.”

Ewe lamb prices were steady to €5 firmer on last year’s vibrant trade.

Driver said that while prices were not too dissimilar, ewe lambs were on average 1kg to 2kg lighter due to the challenging weather experienced this year.

Average price

The average price on the day was approximately €160, while the average weight was in the region of 42.5kg.

Almost 20 lots of stronger ewe lambs and top-quality lots sold from €170 to a top price of €275.

The three top-priced lots of the sale weighed 50kg, 55kg and 52kg and sold for €275, €255 and €235 respectively.

The highest percentage of the sale sold from €135 to €170, with only a dozen lots selling below €130 per head.

This was mainly light ewe lambs weighing from 32kg to 40kg.

In pictures

These Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €280 each.

This batch of Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €270 each.

This batch of Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €235 each.

These whiter specked-faced ewe hoggets sold for €225 each.

These lighter-framed Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €215 each.

These heavier Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs weighing 52kg sold for €235 each.

This batch of 10 top-quality Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs weighing 45kg sold for €200 each.

Weighing an average of 44kg, these Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs sold for €190 each.

Weighing 44kg on average, these Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs sold for €178 each.

These top-quality but lighter ewe lambs weighing 38kg sold for €150 each.

This batch of lighter Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs weighing 38kg sold for €135.

This pen of 10 light Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs weighing 36kg sold for €132 each.

This batch of Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs weighing 44kg sold for €172/head.

This batch of Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €265 each.

These Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €270 each.

This batch of strong Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets were placed sixth and sold for €282.

These Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe lambs sold for €225 each.

These large-framed Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €275 each.

This batch of blacker-headed Suffolk-cross-Cheviot ewe hoggets sold for €265 each.