The Tullow Sheep Breeders Association premier sale on Wednesday recorded a contrasting trade for ewe lambs and ewe hoggets. An entry of about 1,000 ewe lambs was met with super demand, with prices for the general run of lambs entered stronger to the tune of €5 to €10 per head.

Good-quality ewe lambs weighing 44kg to 50kg ranged from €120 to €145, with a selection of prizewinners and exceptional-quality lots rising to a top of €160 to €170 per head. Plainer-quality lots sold back to €100 to €110. Lighter but nice-quality ewe lambs weighing from 38kg to 44kg sold from €100 to €120, with small numbers of plainer types weighing upwards of 35kg selling from €85 to €95.

The trade for an entry of 1,500 hoggets was sticky, with manager Eric Driver reporting on a lack of enthusiasm stemming from poor market prices.

At the time of going to print, prices were back by €10 to €20 per head, with buyers more reluctant to pay higher for top-quality lots.

The general run of prices for nice-quality hoggets ranged from €160 to €180. A selection of prizewinners and excellent-quality lots breached the €200 mark. Some lighter suckled hoggets and plainer types sold back to €145 to €155 on average.