Tullow Mart recorded a vibrant trade for slaughter-fit lambs in Tuesday’s sale, with factory agents locking horns with wholesale and butcher buyers.
Competition is being helped at present by demand outstripping supplies in the market, with prices running €30 per head on average above the corresponding period in 2020.
Lambs weighing 48kg to 51kg typically sold in a tight price range from €147 to €153 per head or from €98 to €102 over their weight.
Mart manager Eric Driver reported that a handful of pens of excellent-quality lambs weighing from 50kg to 55kg sold from €103 to €109 with the weight, with the pick of these being a batch of 50kg ewe lambs selling for €109 per head.
Buyers had no hesitation in dropping down on weights for slaughter-fit lambs, with fleshed lambs weighing from 44kg to 47kg trading on average from €141 to €147 per head, with a pen of 44kg ewe lambs attracting farmer-buyer interest and selling to €149 per head.
Similar-weight lots lacking flesh sold from €135 to €140, with feeders also very active for short-keep lambs with the potential of turning over quickly.
This also rang true for lambs weighing 39kg to 42kg, with prices ranging from €122 for plainer-quality and lots lacking flesh to €130 to €132 for lambs with a good cover of flesh.
Eric said forward store lambs are running €14 to €18 on average above the corresponding period in 2020, with the differential tighter in 2020 between slaughter-fit and store lambs.
Lambs weighing 34kg to 37kg sold from €112 to €120 or from €3.11/kg to as high as €3.30/kg to €3.50/kg on a price-per-kilo basis, while lighter lots weighing 30kg to 32kg sold from €98 to €104.
A selection of very light lambs weighing 26kg to 28kg also met keen demand and sold from €85 to €89 on average.
Eric said there was more bite in the trade for ewes, with those weighing 80kg to 87kg selling from €144 to €158 per head, while a small selection of fleshed ewes weighing 88kg to 105kg sold from €172 to €175.
Feeding ewes weighing 72kg to 80kg sold from €104 to €122, with lighter-framed ewes weighing 60kg to 67kg selling from €88 to €93 in the main and back to a bottom price of €74.
Sale dates
The mart is holding a special weanling sale on Saturday, while on Thursday 11 November it will host a dispersal sale of 100 dairy cows and 40 followers at noon, with the crossbred herd averaging 6,300kg milk solids and possessing a high EBI.
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