Cull ewes were the pick of the trade at marts this week, having improved from the week previous where prices had eased off.
Hoggets however, remain a steady trade and spring lambs, if anything, were an easier trade overall on the previous week – by €3-4/head.
Looking at the trade for cull ewes first, mart managers are continuing to note large entries of ewes at weekly sales as farmers look to continue to make the most of the strong trade.
Heavy ewes in excess of 100kg did break the €300 mark again this week, but not to the same extent as seen in previous weeks.
Generally prices for those heavy, fleshed ewes sold from €170/head up to €250/head, with prices above €200/had generally seen for 95kg plus ewes, with prices below this level falling back to ewes weighing 85kg plus.
Lighter ewes in the 70-85kg bracket have generally been selling for €120-170/head, and more in cases for ewes at the heavier end of this scale.
The hogget trade remained steady as mentioned, with prices generally topping €170/head for heavy hoggets and €158/head up to €168/head for those 50kg plus lots.
Spring lambs have once again been a tough trade this week, with prices above €170/head few and far between for fleshed lambs.
Overall, top prices for spring lambs have been on a par with those of hoggets – around the €168/head mark.
46kg plus lambs are generally starting from a base of €158-160/head and making up to that €168-170/head.
Lambs weighing 40-45kg are in the main trading from €145-160/head, with some quality lambs selling above this mark.
