Sheep Ireland held its multi-breed ram sale at Tullamore Mart, Co. Offaly on Saturday (August 26) where it recorded average sales prices of €795/ram.
The sale, which Sheep Ireland called “the largest ram sale ever catalogued in Ireland”, saw 516 rams go up for sale.
Visitors to Tullamore Mart could begin viewing the rams from 9:30a.m, while buyers could join the sale join online, with the selling commencing at 11:30a.m.
Initial sale analysis showed an average sale price of €795, with a sale clearance rate of 90.5%.
This means that the sale has continued to show a steady growth in its 13th year, as the sale clearance in the 2022 sale was 87%, which itself was higher than the 84% clearance in 2021.
The 2023 sale also had a higher average price than last year, as this year saw the average price reach €795, up €131 from the 2022 average of €664.
The 516 rams at the sale were divided into two separate rings. Throughout the day, ring 1 held 260 rams and ring 2 held 256 rams.
Ring 1 Breed No. of rams Charollais 152 Hampshire Down 10 Rouge De l’Quest 5 Easy Care 2 Vendeen 26 Bluefaced Leicester 3 Beltex 1 Border Leicester 3 Belclare 58
The 516 rams at the sale were eligible for the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), genotyped and were DNA fully parentage verified, according to Sheep Ireland.
Ring 2 Breed No. of rams Texel 173 Suffolk 83
The organisation also ensured that the rams were a five-star on either the replacement or terminal indexes, meaning that every animal in the sale would be in the top 20% of their breed based on Sheep Ireland’s genetic analysis.
There was strong demand for Charollais rams at the sale, with prices ranging from €400 to €1,950.
William Gleeson from Co. Wexford sold his Charollais ram for €700, while Jackie Ryan of Co. Meath received €1,500 for his Texel ram.
Texel rams remained popular with buyers, as they recorded a clearance of 99%, with prices ranging from €400 to €1,800.
Co. Laois native Liam Delaney sold his Belclare ram for €950, with Greg Rossitor of Co. Wexford’s Suffolk ram fetching a price of €1,000.
Suffolk rams had a wide price range of €350 to €1,450 and a clearance rate of 87%.
The sale also had the EasyCare breed for the first time, which is a Welsh cross of a self-shedding Wiltshire Horn with the robust Welsh Mountain sheep, with the breed known for its self-shedding wool and easy lambing.
Two EasyCare rams were on offer at the sale from Co. Kilkenny breeder William J. Hutchinson, who sold the rams for €700 each.