Camera at the Mart attended the weekly sheep sale at Swatragh Mart on Saturday, where another big entry of 1,000 animals went under the hammer.
The sheep trade has come under pressure in recent weeks, as processors moved to reduce prices on the back of weaker market demand.
These Cheviot cross ewes sold for £98 per head.
However, Saturday’s sale resulted in a much steadier trade, with a slightly firmer edge to buying competition between factory agents.
Where good-quality lambs were brought forward for sale, the live trade is returning a higher price than those on offer at processing plants.
This pen of Texel cross lambs, weighing 22.5kg sold for £86.50.
Plainer lambs are a steadier trade, with no real price differential in sale value between the live trade and factory prices.
Commenting on Saturday’s sale, mart manager Paul Coyle said there has been a really strong throughput of spring lambs over the past month, which has affected prices. He added that good sheep are holding their value, with plenty of competition for cast ewes.
This pen of hoggets weighing 29kg sold to £108.50.
Topping the sale was a pen of hoggets, one of very few on offer. The pen averaged 29kg half-weight and sold to £108.50.
This was followed by £95.80 being paid on another pen of hoggets weighing 27kg. Two pens of sheep sold to £95, once for a pen of 26kg lambs and again for a pen of 29kg hoggets.
This pen of crossbred lambs, weighing 25.5kg, sold for £91.
Heavy pens of spring lambs sold well, with multiple buyers around the ring. Attracting most bidding interest were pens of sheep being sold in smaller groups.
A pen of five Suffolk lambs weighing 24.5kg sold to £94.80, which was matched by a pen of 24kg crossbred lambs.
This pen of crossbrd lambs, weighing 23kg, sold for £91.20.
Good-quality Texel lambs weighing 24.8kg sold to £94, with another pen of tight-skinned Texel lambs weighing 22kg making £93.80.
There was a good run of Texel-cross lambs weighing 22kg to 23kg, which sold from £93 to £93.50, which is £2 to £3 ahead of factory prices earlier this week.
This pen of Texel lambs, weighing 24.5kg, sold for £94.
Plainer lots weighing 22kg to 22.5kg sold well, with prices of £87 rising to £92 for better-quality lots.
Lambs weighing 21kg to 21.5kg were a good trade, with prices of £89 on offer at the top end of the market.
This pen of crossbred lambs, weighing 22kg, sold for £89.80.
Fat ewes sold to a top price of £129, with fat rams making £118. Breeding stock sold to a top price of £210.
This pen of crossbred lambs, weighing 26kg, sold for £94.
This pen of Texel lambs, weighing 22kg, sold for £87.50.
This pen of Suffolk lambs, weighing 24.5kg, sold for £94.80.
This pen of Texel lambs, weighing 22kg, sold for £93.80.
Read more
Beef prices: trade steady apart from young bulls
MartBids report: steady trade in Birr as numbers hold firm
Camera at the Mart attended the weekly sheep sale at Swatragh Mart on Saturday, where another big entry of 1,000 animals went under the hammer.
The sheep trade has come under pressure in recent weeks, as processors moved to reduce prices on the back of weaker market demand.
These Cheviot cross ewes sold for £98 per head.
However, Saturday’s sale resulted in a much steadier trade, with a slightly firmer edge to buying competition between factory agents.
Where good-quality lambs were brought forward for sale, the live trade is returning a higher price than those on offer at processing plants.
This pen of Texel cross lambs, weighing 22.5kg sold for £86.50.
Plainer lambs are a steadier trade, with no real price differential in sale value between the live trade and factory prices.
Commenting on Saturday’s sale, mart manager Paul Coyle said there has been a really strong throughput of spring lambs over the past month, which has affected prices. He added that good sheep are holding their value, with plenty of competition for cast ewes.
This pen of hoggets weighing 29kg sold to £108.50.
Topping the sale was a pen of hoggets, one of very few on offer. The pen averaged 29kg half-weight and sold to £108.50.
This was followed by £95.80 being paid on another pen of hoggets weighing 27kg. Two pens of sheep sold to £95, once for a pen of 26kg lambs and again for a pen of 29kg hoggets.
This pen of crossbred lambs, weighing 25.5kg, sold for £91.
Heavy pens of spring lambs sold well, with multiple buyers around the ring. Attracting most bidding interest were pens of sheep being sold in smaller groups.
A pen of five Suffolk lambs weighing 24.5kg sold to £94.80, which was matched by a pen of 24kg crossbred lambs.
This pen of crossbrd lambs, weighing 23kg, sold for £91.20.
Good-quality Texel lambs weighing 24.8kg sold to £94, with another pen of tight-skinned Texel lambs weighing 22kg making £93.80.
There was a good run of Texel-cross lambs weighing 22kg to 23kg, which sold from £93 to £93.50, which is £2 to £3 ahead of factory prices earlier this week.
This pen of Texel lambs, weighing 24.5kg, sold for £94.
Plainer lots weighing 22kg to 22.5kg sold well, with prices of £87 rising to £92 for better-quality lots.
Lambs weighing 21kg to 21.5kg were a good trade, with prices of £89 on offer at the top end of the market.
This pen of crossbred lambs, weighing 22kg, sold for £89.80.
Fat ewes sold to a top price of £129, with fat rams making £118. Breeding stock sold to a top price of £210.
This pen of crossbred lambs, weighing 26kg, sold for £94.
This pen of Texel lambs, weighing 22kg, sold for £87.50.
This pen of Suffolk lambs, weighing 24.5kg, sold for £94.80.
This pen of Texel lambs, weighing 22kg, sold for £93.80.
Read more
Beef prices: trade steady apart from young bulls
MartBids report: steady trade in Birr as numbers hold firm
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: