Some 3,000 sheep were on offer at Carnew Sheep Mart on Thursday, October 10. The sale saw five classes of sheep on offer which included: Cast ewes; rams; breeding ewes; hoggets; and lambs.

The overall trade was steady, with a high clearance rate reported; however, it was clear to see there was very little bite around the ring and farmers were anxious to get stock sold.

One farmer, in particular, said: “At the moment, the factory and mart trade is bad. I entered 15 lambs into the sale today and usually I would hold on to them for the winter.

“However, this year, it is not worth my while with the way the market is at the moment.

“The store lamb trade is doing OK and that is the reason why I am selling them now, while I have the chance of making money on them,” he concluded.

On offer at the sale were:

  • 2,000 ewe, wether and ram lambs;
  • 500 cast ewes;
  • 130 rams;
  • 200 hoggets.

Ewe lambs

There was an active trade for all classes of lambs on offer at Carnew Mart. The average price for ewe lambs on the day ranged from €70/head up to a top price of €107/head.

There were very few pens of ram and wether lambs on offer. However, these lots were a steady trade, with a high clearance rate reported.

Furthermore, ram lamb prices ranged from €68/head up to a top price of €92/head, with wether lambs achieving a top price of €84/head.

Click on a thumbnail in the gallery (below) to open up a full-size image; once opened you can scroll sideways to see the next picture. Refer to each caption to see details of each lot, including the hammer/sale price.

Sample lamb prices:

  • 18 ewe lambs: 42kg – €87.50/head;
  • Four ewe lambs: 28kg – €69.50/head;
  • 10 ewe lambs: 43.6kg – €107/head;
  • 11 ewe lambs: 43.5kg – €94/head;
  • Five wether lambs: 41.2kg – €81/head.

Cast ewes

There was a large entry of cast ewes on offer, with plenty of buyers for these lots. Furthermore, prices ranged from €57/head up to a top price of €102/head.

However, the majority of these lots sold from €70/head to €80/head.

Sample cast ewe prices:

  • 11 cast ewes: €102/head;
  • 11 cast ewes: €84/head;
  • 17 cast ewes: €88/head;
  • Five cast ewes: €74/head.

Rams

There was just over 130 rams on offer. A packed ringside could be seen, with what looked like plenty of buyers present; however, this was not reflected in the trade, as many rams did not find new homes.

There were multiple breeds on offer, which included: Suffolk; Charollais; Hampshire Down; Cheviot; Texel; and Blue Leicester rams.

The majority of the lots were made up of Suffolk type rams and these were the most popular with buyers. Many of these lots sold from €95 up to a top price of €450.

Furthermore, a three-year-old Texel sold for €460, while another Texel ram lamb sold for €170.

Sample ram prices:

  • Three-year-old Suffolk ram: €460;
  • Three-year-old Charollais ram: €190;
  • Shearling Suffolk ram: €260;
  • Two-year-old Blue Leicester ram: €70;
  • Charollais ram lamb: €190.

Breeding ewes and hoggets

The trade in the brood ring was active, with plenty of buyers for these lots. On the day, there were 17 lots of breeding ewes and hoggets on offer.

Furthermore, the majority of lots on offer sold from €92/head up to €160/head.

There was very few pens of hoggets on offer; however, the majority of these lots sold from between €145/head and €158/head.

The top price on the day was achieved by a pen of nine hoggets that sold for €166/head.

Sample breeding ewe and hogget prices:

  • Five second and third crop Suffolk ewes: €158/head;
  • Eight third and fourth crop Suffolk ewes: €140/head;
  • Four second and third crop Charollais ewes: €100/head;
  • Four third and fourth crop Borris type mule ewes: €130/head.