An annual ewe lamb sale held in Armoy Livestock Mart on Monday saw prices peak at £415 for a pen of Mules.
The top-priced pen came from the flock of J and B Blaney and it also won first prize in the Mule class in the pre-sale show.
The Suffolk Cheviot class was won by James Delargy.
His prize winners were the first pen in the sales ring and auctioneer Daniel McAlister dropped the hammer for them at £330.
Overall, there were 3,500 ewe lambs on show across Suffolk Cheviot, Mule, Suffolk Mule and Texel Mule breeds.
The average price on the day was £205, which is up from £200 for the same sale last year.
By far the strongest demand was for Mules and Suffolk Cheviots, with some sellers’ averages rising by as much as £60 year on year.
The very best Mules and Suffolk Cheviots surpassed the £300 mark on several occasions and the next tier of quality pens typically sold for north of £250.
In general, the run of strong and sharp Mules and Suffolk Cheviots sold for £220 to £240.
After that, Mules and Suffolk Cheviot ewe lambs that were flashy but a size smaller mostly went for between £190 to £210.
There was an easier trade for Suffolk Mule and Texel Mule ewe lambs on the day.
The best pens made £180 and more, but the run of lots made between £130 and £150, with smaller lambs making less.
More sheep sales are taking place at Armoy Mart this week with a breeding ewe and ewe lamb auction taking place today (Thursday) at 7pm and the annual Torr sale of ewe and wether lambs is scheduled for Saturday from midday.
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