The Borris Ewe Breeders’ Association is set to hold its historic 60th anniversary show and sale on August 12, at Borris Mart in Co. Carlow.
According to Jimmy Dalton of the Borris Ewe Breeders, all the sellers are from Borris.
“There’s no outside sellers. The Borris ewe is the Borris ewe,” he said.
At this year’s sale, buyers can choose from a selection of:
- 1,100 hogget ewes;
- 800 ewe lambs;
- 150 two and three-year-old ewes.
The lamb sale will begin at 10:30a.m, followed by the ewe sale at 12:30p.m, with the sale of the two and three-year old ewes taking place afterwards.
The association will hold three sales in 2023, with the other two set to take place on August 26 and September 9.
The Borris ewe
Dalton described the characteristics of the breed, which is a cross between the Cheviot ewe and the Suffolk ram.
The cross, according to Dalton, “gives you the speckled heads”.
He said the Cheviot brings the “maternal traits and size” while the Suffolk ram “brings the power, and also the size”.
The Borris ewe, Dalton said, is “the backbone to a lot of flocks around Ireland”.
Entering its 60th year, the Borris Ewe Breeders’ Association originally began with a Bluefaced Leicester ram, before it moved to a Suffolk ram, which remained for most of the 60 years.
At this year’s show and sale, Dalton expects that there will be “a similar trade to last year“.
Hogget ewes are expected to be bought from €190 to €230, with ewe lambs anticipated to reach between €90 to €140.
The value of the ewe continues even when their ability to produce lambs ends, as they can maintain excellent confirmation and shape as a cull ewe and fetch a good price.
Dalton said: “When that ewe gets to five or six years old, and she’s in condition, these ewes are making €200 as culls”.
“Whereas if you go with other breeds, they just don’t.
This is an advantage when seeking replacements, as Dalton said “its very easy to come along and get a good hogget for €230-240”.
“It makes them very cheap to replace.”