In lamb gimmers to 9,500 at Texel sale

The Northern Stars Texel in-lamb gimmer sale at Ballymena Mart last Saturday saw a top price of 9,500gns paid to Adrian Liggett from the Corbo flock in Omagh for a 32K Hexel Fan Club daughter out of a dam by Hartside All Star.

The top priced animal is in-lamb to Oberstown Hercules and sold to Jacqueline Browne Strabane. Other leading prices included the 9,000gns paid for a Douganhill Gangster daughter from Alastair Gault’s Forkins Flock in Newtownabbey and the 7,500gns paid for a Largy Fanucci daughter from Richard Henderson’s Ballynahone flock in Tobermore. Mark Priestly, from the Seaforde flock in Co Down, secured 6,000gns for a Auldhouseburn Gazza daughter. ?

Online sheep inventory deadline approaches

The annual DAERA flock inventory must be completed by NI sheep farmers by 30 December 2024.

The inventory must be filled out online and can be accessed using the NIFAIS online service. Flock owners are required to include details on the number of sheep on their holding between 1 and 5 December 2024. This information should also be recorded in the on-farm flock register. Failure to complete the inventory can increase the possibility of an inspection.

Cattle imports to NI down in 2023

Having peaked at over 1,000 head per week in September, rising cattle prices in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) have curbed the appetite for NI factories to bring in animals for direct slaughter.

In the week ending 14 December, a total of 488 cattle were imported into NI?.Across the year to date, ROI imports are down 3% on the same period in 2023, with 25,373 head brought in.

However, cattle moving in the opposite direction are down 50% after ROI beef prices collapsed in spring and summer, trailing NI by 50p to 60p/kg.