Tuesday’s annual breeding sale of Suffolk Cheviot ewe hoggets and ewe lambs in Blessington got this season’s breeding sales in the mart off the a flier.

Manager John Doyle reported good-quality ewe hoggets trading from €200 to €240 per head, with the best-quality lots rising to €257 for the first prize-winning pen of ewe hoggets.

John said prices were helped by farmers travelling long distances to source replacements from an entry of over 1,200 ewe hoggets and producers showing very good -quality sheep. He said there were very few hoggets selling for less than €185 per head, with the lowest priced pen of hoggets selling for €170 per head.

The trade was equally positive for ewe lambs, with prices rising by an average of €5 to €10 on last year’s equivalent sale. He said that a high percentage of the 1,000 plus Suffolk Cheviot ewe lambs on offer sold from €120 to €140 per head.

Best quality

Prices for the best-quality ewe lambs increased to €163 per head, while the lowest price on the day was €110.

According to John, demand for ewe lambs was at such a level that buyers were also very active for ewe lambs entered in the normal weekly sheep sale. He added that confidence levels were also boosted by finished lambs rising by between €3 and €4 per head.

While specialised breeding sales are performing positively, regional sale reports are more mixed. Prices for hoggets traded as part of normal weekly sales are very variable.

Reports suggest specialised sales are attracting a greater number of buyers on a given sale day, while in regional or weekly sales, where the number of sheep on offer is exceeding demand, prices are coming under pressure. This has witnessed a percentage of hoggets going unsold in sales or trading at a much lower average.

Top-quality hoggets are trading in general from €180 to €200 per head, while lighter continental-bred hoggets are trading from €160 to €175.

The numbers of crossbred hoggets offered for sale are small to date, with prices ranging from €130 to €160. Quality and size are having a big bearing on price.