Tullow mart held its first sheep sale of the new year on Tuesday. The trade was described as much livelier and, with buyers keen to replenish supplies after the Christmas break, there were higher levels of competition.

Heavy fleshed hoggets over 50kg are reported as selling from €110 to €120 per head, with the majority falling within a price range of €112 to €118.

Demand for slaughter-fit lambs

With strong demand for slaughter-fit stock, buyers were also very active for lighter slaughter-fit lambs. Fleshed lambs over 45kg are reported as selling from €102 up to €112, with the majority from €104 to €108 per head.

The brisk trade for slaughter-fit sheep also inserted greater optimism in to the store trade. Store hoggets over 40kg met good farmer demand, selling from €90 up to €102, with a high percentage reported as falling within the €94 to €98 price bracket, while the lightest store lambs on offer sold upwards of €75.

Cull ewes

Demand for cull ewes strengthened prior to Christmas and the trade picked up where it left off. Feeding ewes sold from €1/kg to €1.50/kg, with the best demand for younger fit types. Heavy ewes also sold in a brisk trade, with top prices rising from €120 to €135 for large-framed ewes weighing up to 110kg.

There was also an entry of two-, three- and four-year-old ewes carrying 1.8 lambs, with prices ranging from €140 to €160.

Tullow mart has a dispersal sale of 180 Belclare X ewes on Tuesday 16 January at 12.30pm. The flock is being sold due to a change of farming system, with ewes scanning approximately 1.7 lambs.

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