The vibrant trade for cull ewes is grabbing the attention in sheep sales in the last week.
A number of marts have reported prices hitting as high as €200 per head in isolated cases for individual large-framed ewes while a price of £200 per head has also been reported in Northern Ireland.
The trade in marts in Ireland has strengthened to the tune of €5 per head, with prices typically in the region of €140 to €175 for ewes weighing in excess of 90kg.
Agents purchasing to export ewes live are competing with factory agents and this is underpinning the higher prices paid.
Demand in Britain is particularly strong, with 1,000 sheep exported live for direct slaughter from Northern Ireland last week and a similar number exported not for direct slaughter.
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