The recent lift in factory prices and high percentage of hoggets selling from €5.90/kg to €6.00/kg has delivered another boost to mart prices. Mountbellew Mart in Co Galway had an entry of over 250 hoggets at last Saturday’s weekly sheep sale. As is the case across the country, factory agents were trying to purchase hoggets and leave space to return a margin, but were also not willing to miss out on numbers and capable of paying higher when pushed.

Strong competition with a farmer buyer resulted in a top price of €142 being paid on two occasions for good-quality 58kg Suffolk ewe hoggets. The spoils were shared, with the farmer securing one pen and the factory agent the other. Marginally behind the top price was €140 paid on two occasions for 55.4kg and 54.3kg ewe hoggets, as reflected in the photos.

Fleshed hoggets

Prices for a number of pens of good-quality fleshed hoggets weighing 50kg upwards ranged from €130 to €136, with hoggets with a lower cover of flesh selling back to €120 to €125.

There was also a wide price differential between hoggets weighing from 47kg to 50kg, with prices ranging from €105 to €115, while a pen of good-quality ewe lambs weighing 44kg attracting bidding from two keen farmers, with the price pushed all the way to €118.

Store lambs weighing 37kg to 40kg sold from €84 to €90 in general, with a pen of top-quality stores rising to €95.

The quality of ewes with lambs at foot on offer was mixed and, as such, it is hard to put a range on prices paid. Good-quality third- and fourth-crop ewes with young twin lambs at foot sold from €180 to €200, with first-crop Suffolk ewes and twin Charollais lambs securing the top price of €251.

Lesser-quality aged ewes with poor-quality twin lambs at foot sold from €150 to €170. Likewise, aged ewes with single lambs sold from €130 to €150, with a top price of €203 paid for two pedigree Charollais ewes with a Charollais lamb apiece.

Stag trade

The stag trade is also benefitting from firm factory demand. Heavy fleshed ewes sold from €100 to €120, with medium-sized ewes from €80 upwards. There were very few prices below this level, with €60 to €70 paid for average-quality light crossbred ewes.

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Flying trade for all types of hoggets at Ballymote Mart

Sheep prices: prices approaching €6/kg