The hogget trade witnessed an improvement at marts held on Monday (March 7) with prices for finished hoggets moving closer to €160/head and breaking that mark more regularly.
An increase in factory prices for hoggets late last week into the start of this week has helped to lift the trade at marts for hoggets over the past few days.
Furthermore, the cull ewe trade continues to shine, with prices on Monday at marts breaking the €200/head mark once again.
Ennis Mart
Looking to Ennis Mart first, the mart’s manager, Martin McNamara reported hoggets to be up by €3-5/head on last week.
A full clearance of the 400 sheep on offer was reported with prices for 50kg plus hogget reaching €163 and selling generally from as base of €150/head upwards.
Cull ewes remain a strong trade at Ennis, Martin reported, with a top price of €189 for a 104kg ewe being achieved.
Kilkenny Mart
Over in Kilkenny, George Candler reported a “slightly sharper trade” which saw hoggets peak at €165/head for 56kg.
Butcher lambs traded from €2.95/kg up to €3.16/kg, with factory-type hoggets trading from €3.10/kg up to €3.38/kg.
While yet again a fine trade for cull ewes saw prices reach a high of €201.
Raphoe Mart
At Raphoe Mart on Monday, the mart’s manager, Anne Harkin reported prices for 48kg plus hoggets to be from €150/head up to €160/head.
41-47kg hoggets sold from €130/head up to €150/head, with 34-40kg lots making €110-130/head.
Cull ewes met an “exceptional selling trade”, moving at prices ranging from €80/head for stores up to a top price of €214/head.