On Wednesday (August 11) alongside its weekly sale of lambs and cull ewes, Enniscorthy Mart held its annual show and sale of hoggets and ewe lambs.

Kevin Murphy of Enniscorthy Mart said there was plenty of interest among farmers for breeding sheep – which saw a very good trade on the day.

Ewe lambs sell up to €155/head

Starting with the ewe lambs, Kevin said: “We had our annual show and sale of ewe lambs, which saw plenty of farmers interested in buying quality ewe lambs and give that premium price of €20 to €40 over the commercial price.

“Prices topped €155/head for a pen of ewe lambs weighing 52kg.”

Sample ewe lamb prices:

  • 10 ewe lambs weighing 52kg sold for €155/head;
  • 10 ewe lambs weighing 49kg sold for €145/head;
  • 10 ewe lambs weighing 44kg sold for €136/head;
  • 10 ewe lambs weighing 43kg sold for €135/head;
  • 14 ewe lambs weighing 37kg sold for €134/head;
  • 11 ewe lambs weighing 37kg sold for €130/head.
These 10 Suffolk ewe lambs weighing 52kg sold for a top price of €155/head

Hogget ewes make up to €230/head at Enniscorthy Mart

Speaking about the hogget ewe trade, Kevin said: “We also had a show and sale of hoggets with 250 head on offer.

“These were met with a strong demand, especially for the real quality hoggets as farmers looked for replacements for the upcoming breeding season.

“Hogget prices ranged from €192/head up to a top price of €230/head for the first prize winners. On the day, hoggets averaged €211.

“Furthermore, we also had 50 nice, aged ewes on offer, that sold well from €182/head up to €200/head for three-year-olds.”