Athenry Mart’s first sheep sale of 2019 got off to a steady start on Monday. Hoggets weighing 48kg to 52kg sold on average from €110 to €115 for medium-quality lots.

Factory and butcher / wholesale buyers were reluctant to pass this range, but a few pens of superior-quality lots weighing 52kg pushed prices to €117 to €119, while a top of €120 was paid on one occasion.

Lots weighing 47kg to 48kg were quickly bid into €110 on numerous occasions, with a couple of pens topping this price.

There was a similar trend for lambs weighing 42kg to 44kg, with interest from store buyers quickly pushing prices to €100 per head, while well-fleshed lambs in this weight category attracted strong interest from factory agents and pushed prices to €103 to €105 for the top-quality lots.

Lighter average-quality lambs weighing 36kg to 38.5kg sold in a good trade from €86 to €90.

The cull ewe trade was firm, with a high percentage of fleshed ewes selling in a price range of €90 to €110, while a selection of fleshed large-framed ewes sold to a top of €120 to €125.

There were very few poor-quality ewes on offer with lots with a poorer cover of flesh selling back to €70.

Commission rates are 1.75% to the seller and €1.35 per hogget to the buyer.