The sheep breeding sales season got off to a flying start at the Tullow Sheep Breeders Association premier sale on Wednesday, with prices for light ewe lambs at 35kg to 38kg up by €15 to €20/head on last year.
Tullow Mart manager Eric Driver told the Irish Farmers Journal that while weights may not be as strong as 2023, strong breeding showcased an improvement in prices.
“There was no great change in trade, with the heavier lambs fetching up to about €220 or €230. There is a good, honest trade for those ewe lambs and, overall, there was a full clearance. You are looking at a trade here where the weather has taken advantage of the quality made available and €180 to €200 was catching for the majority of those nice ewe lambs.”
These ewe lambs, weighing 38kg, sold for €170/head at the Tullow Sheep Breeders sale on Wednesday.
The champion pen sold at €250/head and the reserve champion tapped out at €275/head, taking the highest priced pen of lambs on sale, Driver said. “The majority of ewes are selling between €280 to €295 – it’s a very tight game,” he said.
Some of the lighter hoggets hit €270 to €280 per head, with stronger ones in excess of €300 on the day.
“The quality is down to farmers grading stronger earlier in the year and they sold off any of their lesser breeding stock which needs to be praised.
“This year, we are up around €15 or €20 a head and we’re putting that down to the cast ewe trade and the sheep schemes. We had nearly 300 more hoggets this year, which is 30 more pens than last year.
This batch of 50kg ewes sold for €210/head at the Tullow Sheep Breeders sale on Wednesday. \ Grace Hoare
“This has been our 37th annual sale and to sum it up in one word would be ‘tremendous’ in terms of interest around the ring, strong prices being maintained and quality of the stock on sale.”
There was also a charity sale on the day in aid of the Tom Eustace recovery fund.
The sale had 15 sheep, which included ewe lambs and two pedigree ram lambs.
The sale alone made a combined total of €4,225, and there were donations afterwards.
The sheep breeding sales season got off to a flying start at the Tullow Sheep Breeders Association premier sale on Wednesday, with prices for light ewe lambs at 35kg to 38kg up by €15 to €20/head on last year.
Tullow Mart manager Eric Driver told the Irish Farmers Journal that while weights may not be as strong as 2023, strong breeding showcased an improvement in prices.
“There was no great change in trade, with the heavier lambs fetching up to about €220 or €230. There is a good, honest trade for those ewe lambs and, overall, there was a full clearance. You are looking at a trade here where the weather has taken advantage of the quality made available and €180 to €200 was catching for the majority of those nice ewe lambs.”
These ewe lambs, weighing 38kg, sold for €170/head at the Tullow Sheep Breeders sale on Wednesday.
The champion pen sold at €250/head and the reserve champion tapped out at €275/head, taking the highest priced pen of lambs on sale, Driver said. “The majority of ewes are selling between €280 to €295 – it’s a very tight game,” he said.
Some of the lighter hoggets hit €270 to €280 per head, with stronger ones in excess of €300 on the day.
“The quality is down to farmers grading stronger earlier in the year and they sold off any of their lesser breeding stock which needs to be praised.
“This year, we are up around €15 or €20 a head and we’re putting that down to the cast ewe trade and the sheep schemes. We had nearly 300 more hoggets this year, which is 30 more pens than last year.
This batch of 50kg ewes sold for €210/head at the Tullow Sheep Breeders sale on Wednesday. \ Grace Hoare
“This has been our 37th annual sale and to sum it up in one word would be ‘tremendous’ in terms of interest around the ring, strong prices being maintained and quality of the stock on sale.”
There was also a charity sale on the day in aid of the Tom Eustace recovery fund.
The sale had 15 sheep, which included ewe lambs and two pedigree ram lambs.
The sale alone made a combined total of €4,225, and there were donations afterwards.
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