Mart manager Eric Driver noted the "great energy" around the ring for Tullow Mart’s first main breeding sale of the season, with 2,500 breeding ewe lambs and hoggets on offer on the day.

While Driver noted lambs slightly lighter owing to the weather, price was unaffected. The sharpest trade was for heavier lambs, with those weighing 48kg-plus crossing the €350/head mark on several occasions, while the leading pen in the lambs saw €380/head achieved. Lambs weighing in the 45kg to 48kg bracket sold from €280 up to €330/head with keen demand for these types.

Lambs weighing from 43kg to 45kg sold from €250 upwards with lambs weighing over the 40kg selling from €210 to €260. A small number of lighter store type lambs under 40kg sold circa €200. The hoggets saw its biggest entry for the first sale of the year ever, and the trade was lively with the bulk of hoggets selling from €350 up to €400/head, with top end lots crossing the €400/head mark.

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