There was more appetite for all classes of lambs on offer in Inishowen Livestock Mart, Carndonagh, Co Donegal, at the weekly sale on Saturday.
The majority of lambs entered were store lambs, with demand buoyed by the recent strong grass growth and positive sentiment stemming from an increase in finished prices.
Horned crossbred ram lambs weighing in the region of 38kg to 41kg averaged around €97 to €101, while similar-weight Texel and Charollais-cross ram lambs sold to €107 to €110.
Fleshed crossbred ram lambs weighing 44kg to 45kg sold from €115 to €120, while heavier fleshed lowland ram lambs weighing 48kg to 50kg averaged around €135 per head, with top prices hitting €138 and breaching the €140 mark for select lots of heavy ewe lambs with breeding potential.
Scottish Blackface ram lambs weighing from 30kg to 35kg sold within a tight price range of €2.10/kg to €2.28/kg.
Ewe lambs attracted a price premium over ram lambs, ranging on average from €2.70/kg to €2.80/kg or from €108 to €115 for lambs weighing 39kg to 42kg, while lambs with breeding potential increased to €3/kg and over with select lots of top-quality lots selling from €3.10/kg to €3.25/kg.
Lighter crossbred ewe lambs weighing in the region of 30kg to 32kg met firm demand, with these lambs ranging on average from €2.90/kg to €3/kg.
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