The Northern Ireland Dorset Horn and Polled Dorset premier show and sale saw a top price of 2,000gns paid in Ballymena on Monday evening for a ram lamb, Olivertree X-Saviour.

The September 2015-born ram was presented by Raymond Hill from Doagh and is sired by Polgreen S603 and from the dam Olivertree U191.

Making the second highest price on the night of 1,100gns was Amy McConnell from Templepatrick, with Beechmount Xander. The Ballytaggart Ouma son was born in September 2015 and is from the dam Beechmount T160.

Overall, 40 ram lambs were sold for an average price of 425gns and two shearling rams, both exhibited by Laura Weir from Ballymena, were sold for 600gns and 320gns.

Trade for rams on the night was selective with prices dropping off after the top-selling lots, and 12 rams were not sold due to either being passed by exhibitors or failing to reach the society’s minimum ram sale price of 250gns. However, sellers reported that more commercial farmers appeared to be buying Dorset rams compared with previous sales.

Show

In the show before the sale, David Lewis from Narberth in Wales placed the ram lamb, Galgorm X26, as supreme champion. The Pembroke Timebomb son was shown by Michael and Catherine Maybin from Ballymena, is from the dam Galgorm P25 and later sold for 550gns. Reserve champion was a pair of ewe lambs from the Hilltop flock of Richard Currie from Ballymena which sold for 900gns and 550gns.

Ewe lambs were a steadier trade with almost a full clearance.

Across 117 lots, the average ewe lamb price was 229gns. The highest-selling female was Richard Currie’s reserve champion that sold for 900gns. The September 2015-born ewe lamb is a Sandelford Shendar daughter and from the dam, Maine Valley.

Shearling ewes that were mostly in-lamb or had been running with rams were also sold, with 19 lots averaging 173gns and four senior ewes born before September 2014 sold for 210gns, on average.