The store lamb trade kicked off in earnest in Manorhamilton Mart, Co Leitrim, on Wednesday evening, with over 500 lambs going under the hammer.

The sale entry was boosted by a number of large batches of well-presented lambs weighing in the region of 27kg to 31kg.

The largest of these was a batch of 101 Suffolk-cross ram lambs weighing 28kg, which sold for €120 per head.

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Batches of good-quality ram and mixed ram and ewe lambs at such weights sold in the main from €4.20/kg to €4.35/kg, with lots of ewe lambs selling to upwards of €4.60/kg.

Some lesser-quality lots sold back to €4/kg. The mart reports that there was no shortage of buyers for store lambs, with the entire sale entry recording a clearance rate of 99.5%.

Heavier stores

Heavier stores weighing in the region of 36kg to 39kg sold on average from €3.70/kg to €4/kg, with a similar price for lambs weighing 40kg to 42kg.

Lambs at the higher end of the price-per-kilo range were those with a good cover of flesh.

Demand for slaughter-fit lambs was firm, despite continued price pressure. The best-quality lambs weighing from 48kg to 50kg sold from €195 to €200 per head, with a couple of batches back to €190 per head.

Lambs weighing 45kg to 47kg sold from the mid-€180s to low-€190s, depending on condition.

In pictures

This large batch of 101 Suffolk-cross ram lambs weighing 28.31kg sold for €120 (€4.28/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

This batch of 20 Suffolk-bred lambs weighing 31.5kg sold for €125 (€3.97/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

This batch of nine fleshed lambs averaging 43.55kg sold for €179 (€4.11/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

This batch of 13 speckle-faced ram lambs weighing an average of 40kg sold for €164 per head (€4.10/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

Weighing 37.53kg on average, this batch of 26 Charollais-cross and crossbred ram lambs sold for €137 per head (€3.65/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

These 40 speckle-faced store lambs weighing 28.85kg on average sold for €127 each (€4.40/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

These 12 Suffolk-cross ram lambs weighing an average of 38kg sold for €148 each (€3.90/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

Weighing an average of 30.5kg, these 40 Suffolk-cross ewe lambs sold for €136 each (€4.46/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

This large batch of 56 Suffolk-cross and crossbred store lambs weighing 31.78kg sold for €120 (€3.78/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

These three lambs averaging 46.66kg sold for €187 (€4.08/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

Weighing 50kg, these Texel-cross and Suffolk-cross lambs sold for €197 each (€3.94/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

These four lambs weighing 46kg sold for €189 each (€4.11/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

This batch of light mixed-quality Scottish Blackface ewes weighing 47kg sold for €64 each. \ Manorhamilton Mart

This Texel ewe weighing 84kg sold for €198 (€2.36/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart

This pair of Cheviot cull ewes weighing 78kg sold for €174 (€2.23/kg). \ Manorhamilton Mart