Tuam Mart held its weekly sheep sale on Tuesday (August 25), which was described as a “very good sale, with a great demand for all types of sheep”.

There was a strong entry of sheep on the day, with ewe lambs – fit for breeding – in particular, catching the eye, as well as store lambs, which were also a “very strong trade”.

According to the mart manager, Marian Devane, there would have been more sheep on offer only for the bad weather.

To find out more about the trade on the day, AgriLand spoke to Marian to get her thoughts.

She said: “We had a very good sale on Tuesday. There was a great demand for all types of sheep.

“Looking at the breeding sheep, we had a good entry of breeding ewes, hoggets and ewe lambs.

Breeding ewes topped out at €175/head, while ewe hoggets made up to €238/head. Again, there was also a very good trade for ewe lambs fit for breeding. The top price in this section was €142/head.

Sample ewe lamb prices:

  • 41kg: €124/head;
  • 45kg: €126/head;
  • 50kg: €130/head;
  • 48kg: €120/head;
  • 52kg: €115/head.

“There was a good trade for butcher and factory-fit lambs as well. Prices for these lots ranged from €95/head up to €113/head, with some lots exceeding this price range in places.”

Sample butcher and factory-fit lamb prices:

  • 46kg: €121/head;
  • 50kg: €113/head;
  • 49.5kg: €110/head;
  • 50kg: €105/head;
  • 48kg: €100/head.

“Finally, store lambs were a strong trade once again, with farmers very active for these lots. Lambs weighing from 33kg up to 38kg sold from €85/head up to €93/head, with some forward-type stores weighing 40-41kg making upwards of €100/head.”

Sample store lamb prices:

  • 33kg: €85/head;
  • 33kg: €91/head;
  • 36kg: €92/head;
  • 36kg: €92/head;
  • 38kg: €93/head.