Mountbellew Mart in Co Galway recorded a steady trade for lambs in its weekly sale on Saturday.

There were a few standout prices paid for ewe lambs of breeding quality, with top-quality lots exceeding the €3/kg mark and select lots hitting as high as €3.50/kg.

Lesser-quality ewe lambs that still possessed breeding potential were capable of commanding a small premium over equivalent-weight slaughter-fit and store lambs.

Fleshed lambs were a steady trade, with agents keen to get their hands on numbers.

Quality prices

Good-quality lambs weighing 50kg to 52kg sold from €133 to €136, with lots lacking flesh falling back below the €130/head mark. The best-quality lambs weighing 47kg to 49kg sold from €128 to €133/head, with lambs lacking flesh falling back to €120.

Prices paid for lowland lambs were highly dependent on quality and weight.

Good-quality lowland lambs weighing from 35kg to 50kg ranged on average from €2.30/kg to €2.60/kg, with some lots containing ewe lambs selling from €2.70/kg to €2.80/kg.

Horned and crossbred lambs sold on average from €2.20/kg to €2.50/kg for heavier lots capable of finishing without excessive meal feeding.

Lighter lambs weighing less than 30kg sold from €1.85/kg to €2.10/kg for plainer-quality lambs which are long-term prospects, with better-quality types selling to €2.30/kg.

Hogget trade

The quality of hoggets on offer has reduced, as expected, as the season has progressed.

There is still plenty of customers willing to compete to higher prices for top-quality lots, with a number of lots selling from €175 to €200.

Medium-sized hoggets sold from €150 to €170, while small-framed and light hoggets sold back to €100.

Cull ewes

The number of cull ewes and rams on offer has followed a seasonal downward trend, with just 15 lots on offer.

Prices paid for ewes weighing in the region of 70kg to 75kg ranged from €80 to €100 depending on condition.

Heavier ewes weighing in the region of 85kg sold from €120 to €140, with a small number of lots weighing upwards of 100kg selling from €155 to €200.

Special ram sale

There was a special Suffolk ram sale on the day, with 16 rams presented from the Winfield Suffolk flock run by Jimmy Screene, Menlough, Galway.

The rams sold in the ring in a tight price range from €380 to €440/head, with a handful of rams unsold at these prices.

In pictures

This batch of 12 mainly Suffolk-bred lambs weighing 50.5kg and nicely fleshed sold for €136 (€2.69/kg).

The 10 43kg Mule wether lambs on left sold for €109 (€2.54/kg). The eight light ewe lambs averaging 29.5kg on right sold for €69 (€2.34/kg).

Eight mixed-breed lambs weighing 37.5kg sold for €100 (€2.67/kg). The five horned Suffolk-cross ewe and wether lambs on right weighing 44.5kg sold for €110 each (€2.47/kg).

This batch of 10 Suffolk-cross lambs (all clean) weighing 39.3kg sold for €123 (€3.13/kg).

The 10 speckle-faced ewe lambs with a blue spray mark and weighing 43.1kg sold for €154 (€3.57/kg). The 10 Suffolk ewe lambs weighing 43.7kg with a red spray mark sold for €122 (€2.79/kg).

The 10 Charollais-cross ram lambs weighing 27.5kg on left sold for €55 (€2/kg). The Charollais-cross ewe lambs on right weighing 27kg sold for €50 each (€1.85/kg).

This batch of 28 light Suffolk ewe lambs sold for €89 each.

This batch of eight Charollais-cross lambs weighing 45kg sold for €122 each (€2.71/kg).

This batch of 10 nice-quality Suffolk ewe hoggets sold for €146 each.

This pen of 10 medium-sized Suffolk ewe hoggets sold for €162 each.

This batch of eight Texel-cross ewe hoggets sold for €160 each.

The six good-quality Suffolk ewe lambs weighing 49kg on the left sold for €147 (€3/kg). Four Suffolk wether lambs on right weighing 47.5kg sold for €133 (€2.80/kg).

This batch of 12 Scottish Blackface and crossbred ewe lambs weighing 40.3kg sold for €88 (€2.18/kg).

These Scottish Blackface and Suffolk crossbred ewe lambs weighing 34.5kg sold for €67 (€1.94/kg).

The 14 Suffolk-cross ewe lambs on left weighing 38kg sold for €112 each (€2.95/kg), while the five on right weighing 34kg sold for €97 each (€2.85/kg).

The 11 crossbred ram lambs on left weighing 35.1kg sold for €75 (€2.14/kg). The 11 Suffolk- and- Charollais- cross ewe lambs weighing 33.5kg on right sold for €83 each (€2.48/kg).

Eight Charollais-cross wether and ewe lambs weighing 50.6kg on left sold for €135 (€2.67/kg). Nine mixed breed wether and ewe lambs weighing 36.5kg on right sold for €90 (€2.47/kg).

This batch of nine ram lambs, including some crossbred types, weighing 50.8kg sold for €135 (€2.66/kg).

Nine nice-quality ewe lambs on left weighing 45.7kg sold for €20 each (€2.63/kg). The three fleshed Suffolk-cross wether lambs on right averaging 48.7kg sold for €132 (€2.71/kg).

This batch of 10 crossbred hoggets, many of which are horned, sold for €146 each.

This batch of 10 crossbred hoggets sold for €168 each.