The highlight of last Saturday’s sheep sale in Mountbellew Mart in Co Galway was the trade for good-quality ewe hoggets and ewes with lambs at foot. The sale was held by tender, with sellers dropping off sheep without exiting their vehicles and buyers then allotted a period to view and table a price for sheep. More buyers than sheep on offer led to a sharp trade.

These quality lambs weighing 47.2kg sold for €130.

A few lots of top-quality Suffolk and Suffolk-cross ewe hoggets weighing from 56kg to 66kg ranged in price from €145 to a top of €166, while a couple of other pens of Mule and Texel-cross sheep averaged around the €135 to €140 mark. Fleshed factory hoggets weighing 49kg to 55kg sold from €115 to €122.

This pen of Charollais-cross hoggets weighing 55kg sold for €122.

Lambs weighing 47kg to 49kg averaged €130 per head. Lots weighing 43kg to 44kg ranged from €118 to €122, while lighter lambs weighing 40kg to 41kg sold from €113 to €118, with one lot of 38kg lambs selling for €108.

The entry of ewes with lambs at foot was down and the extra competition lifted prices by €5 to €10 in places.

This pen of eight Suffolk and Suffolk-cross ewe hoggets weighing 56.4kg sold for €166.

Young and quality single lamb lots sold from €180 to €220, with a couple of plainer lots back to €150. Twin lamb units sold from €220 to €260. Cull ewes were an easier trade than the previous week. Large-framed fleshed ewes sold from €105 to €120, with lighter and feeding types from €80 to €95.

These large framed Texel ewes with a strong Texel lamb at foot sold for €200.50.

This pen of 10 fleshed cull ewes sold for €110.

Three young Mule ewes with strong Suffolk lambs at foot sold for €220.

This pen of stag ewes sold for €108.

These three cull ewes sold for €116.

These 12 good-quality lambs weighing 46kg sold for €130.

These eight lambs weighing 43.5kg sold for €119.50.

These four light lambs weighing 38kg sold for €108.

This pen of lighter average quality Suffolk ewe hoggets weighing 45kg sold for €115.

This pen of nice-quality Suffolk hoggets weighing 66.8kg sold for €156.

This pen of 56.4kg Suffolk and Suffolk-cross hoggets sold for €145.

This pen of Mule ewe hoggets weighing 49.7kg sold for €140.

These eight lambs weighing 40kg sold for €113.