For many, the talk of the town last year was that of the strong lamb prices – and rightly so. However, at different stages of the year, cull ewe prices outshone the lamb trade.
For cull ewes, prices above the €200/head mark and as high as €225/head were seen coming into late-spring and towards the end of the year, when they picked up again after falling throughout summer and early autumn.
Similarly, in the last month or so, the cull ewe trade has once again taken off and prices have even exceeded what was seen in 2021 – which many sheep farmers wouldn’t have believed could happened.
In the last two weeks or so, prices for heavy ewes have hit highs of €220-€230/head and this week so far, marts have reported prices as high as €238/head.
Ewe prices in general
It’s not just these heavy ewes that are making the headlines as prices across the board for ewes in general, are performing very strongly.
The trade is performing so well that now you would struggle to pick up any type of lowland-bred ewe for less than €90-100/head at marts.
If you do have ewes that could be sold, considering the cost of fertiliser at the moment reducing numbers and saving grass for priority stock – like ewes and lambs – and getting a good return could be the best option going forward.