Breeding stock are in demand for both the sheep and cattle world and this year’s Christmas Belles sale of pedigree Texel ewes was no exception, with a super demand for ewes on the day.

The three west of Ireland flocks have built up a strong following, with a lot of repeat purchasers back again.

Top price of the sale went to the Silverhill flock. This March 2019-born hogget is by Milnbank Ally Cat going back to a Derrylahan Victorious ewe. She was sold, scanned in lamb with twins, to Greenhill Dance Monkey for €3,050.

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Top call of the day went to Neville Myles’s Silverhill flock for their March 2019-born hogget. She is by Milnbank Ally Cat going back to a Derrylahan Victorious ewe and was sold scanned in lamb with twins to Greenhill Dance Monkey. She was eventually knocked down at €3,050.

The Silverhill flock also got into top money for Lot 20, a Springwell Abu Dhabi hogget going back to a Knock Trident ewe. This ewe was scanned in lamb with twins to Greenhill Dance Monkey and sold for €2,400.

Lot 20 from the Silverhill flock was by Springwell Abu Dhabi going back to a Knock Trident ewe. She was sold, scanned in lamb with twins, to Greenhill Dance Monkey.

Top call for Ronan Gallagher’s Enniscrone flock went to Lot 33, a Garngour Aerosmith hogget going back to an an Elgur Viscount ewe. She was sold scanned in lamb with twins to Stainton Coca Cola and sold for €2,250. Not stopping there, the Enniscrone flock also sold another Garngour Aerosmith ewe, this one going back to a Shannagh Won-O-Won ewe.

Lot 33 from the Enniscrone flock. This February 2019-born hogget was by Garngour Aerosmith and went back to an Elgur Viscount ewe. She was sold, scanned in lamb with twins, to Stainton Coca Cola and sold for €2,250.

She was scanned in lamb with twins to Stainton Coca Cola and sold for €2,200. Her full sister was sold later for €900.

Lot 23, a Garngour Aerosmith hogget going back to a Shannagh Won-O-Won ewe, sold scanned in lamb with twins selling for €2,200.

Lot 47 from the Enniscrone flock. This April 2019-born hogget is by Garngour Aerosmith, going back to a Tophill Wall Street ewe, and sold scanned with one lamb to Enniscrone Donovan for €2,140.

Top call for Jimmy Garrivan’s Clewbay flock was for Lot 18, a February 2019-born hogget. By Garngour Aerosmith, she sold scanned in lamb with twins to Stainton Coca Cola, selling for €1,100. The sale achieved a 100% clearance rate, with ewes finding new homes all over Ireland.

Lot 18 from the Clewbay flock of Jimmy Garrivan was by Garngour Aerosmith and sold scanned in lamb with twins to Stainton Coca Cola, selling for €1,100.

One of the highlights of the day was the sale of four pedigree Suffolk lambs. The lambs, just over a week old, sold with the recipient mothers. The two ewe lambs averaged €930 each, while the two ram lambs averaged €710 each. Also included in the sale were three pedigree Blue Texel ewe lambs. They were sired by Clenagh Disneyland and averaged €566 each.

For the full sale report, see the pedigree section of next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.