‘Ewe lambs were the standout trade; heavy lambs made up to €115/head’ – Maura Quigley

Roscommon Mart held its weekly sale of sheep, which included lambs and cast ewes, on Wednesday (September 30).

There was a smaller entry of sheep on the day in comparison to the previous week; however, out of the 792 lambs on offer, only 60 went unsold.

Speaking about the trade on the day, the mart manager, Maura Quigley, said: “We had a smaller sale of sheep, but, despite that, the trade was good on the day.

“Factory-finished lambs were a solid trade despite the pull in factory prices of late. Butcher lambs made up to €115/head, while factory-fit lambs topped out at €110/head for lambs weighing 47kg.”

“The ewe lambs trade was the highlight of the sale. The top price on the day was €141/head for a pen of ewe lambs weighing €141/head,” Maura said.

“Prices for these lots ranged from €103/head up to the €140/head mark for lambs in excess of 40kg.”

Maura continued: “Looking at the store lamb trade, again, it was similar to the ewe lamb trade, in that it was very lively with some very good prices on the day.

“One very good price I saw was a pen of stores weighing 32.3kg making €84/head. Some heavier stores, weighing around 37-38kg, sold for €90-92/head.”

“Cull ewes made from €63/head for feeding ewes up to €113/head for heavy types. The heavier ewes were a solid trade, but maybe a shade easier than the week before.”

Breeding sale

On Saturday last (September 26), Roscommon Mart held its second last breeding sale of the year. On the day, hoggets two and three-year-old ewes were on offer.

Commenting on the trade on the day, Maura said: “Numbers were small, which is to be expected considering we have had breeding sales on every Saturday for the past eight weeks.

“Despite the small sale, the trade was good, with hoggets making up to €204/head and starting out at €120/head.

“Two-year-old ewes made from €120/head up to €160/head, while three-year-old ewes sold from €100/head up to €140/head.”