The trade at the latest sheep sale in Kenmare Mart, Co. Kerry is proving to go from strength to strength according to the mart manager.
Kenmare Mart manager Dan McCarthy told Agriland that upon a 50.6kg hogget ewe making €204 at the sale, he said it was his “first time ever seeing it, and I have a lot of them sold”.
Reflecting on Monday’s sale, McCarthy said the trade has the best prices he had “seen in years” and has reached “new highs”.
The sheep trade at Kenmare Mart five months ago told a different story, as Agriland previously reported on sales that regularly saw sheep in poor condition coming through the ring.
However, McCarthy said the trade has “turned around” since then.
Explaining how the trade has improved, McCarthy gave the example of a farmer who purchased two lots of lambs during a sale at the mart last autumn, which cost €44/head and €33/head respectively.
McCarthy told the farmer to “hold on to them till the spring and see how you get on”.
McCarthy said that farmer brought those lambs to the sale on Monday, and his lot of 43kg lambs made €152/head.
Commenting on this trade, McCarthy said: “I think the fellas that bought small lambs last year are going to make big money.
“That’s great for us lads too as they’ll be back to buy the lambs in the spring,” he added.
There were 1,600 sheep available at Monday’s sale, with a 99.9% clearance reported, as McCarthy explained “hardly nothing went home”.
At the sale were factory agents eager to buy heavier lambs, and also farmers looking to purchase store lambs.
Reflecting on the current prices in the sheep trade, McCarthy said “farming deserved a bit of a twist like that”.
Last October, McCarthy commented on the trade for mountain Scotch lambs, describing the “woeful trade” for them at the time.
However, now the Kenmare Mart manager explained “the heavier Scotch lamb is coming in to serious money. They’re toe for toe with the Suffolk”.
Sample hogget prices:
- 34kgs- €92;
- 46kgs- €170;
- 42kg- €140;
- 48kg- €180;
- 48kg- €179;
- 47kg- €185.
McCarthy said the ewe trade at the sale was “not as strong as last week” but that breeding ewes and in-lamb ewes were being purchased, due to lamb in April.
Meanwhile, at Kenmare Mart, support is underway for Effie Neill, who works at the mart, but who is also a country music singer.
She will be competing on Glór Tíre, TG4’s country music competition series on April 16, and McCarthy is calling on people to give her their vote.
Neill previously performed at the mart in November 2023 at a concert to raise funds for a defibrillator for the local business park.
The success of the concert, McCarthy explained, meant that supporting Neill’s upcoming appearance on Glór Tíre was “our chance to give something back to her”.