“We had an excellent sale on Monday; buyers were very eager ringside again and the online bidders were also very active.”

That was the view of Raphoe Mart’s manager, Anne Harkin, who was speaking to AgriLand about the mart’s Christmas lamb show and sale and general sheep sale on Monday last (December 7).

The top price on the day at the show and sale was €215/head for a pen of heavy lambs weighing 48kg.

Butcher demand

Anne said that butchers in that area are very keen to get a hold of heavy, well-fleshed lambs in the run-up to Christmas and that prices for butcher lambs at the general sale on Monday reached €134/head.

She explained: “It was an excellent sale and it was great to see people back around the ring again and they were delighted to be back themselves.

The biggest majority of our customers were back around the ring. Although, in saying that online bidders were very much in the thick of the action.

When asked was that sale the mart’s best over the last few weeks, Anne replied by saying: “It’s not often you see lambs making €215/head that are going to the butcher.”

Raphoe Mart’s Christmas lamb show and sale prize winners: 

Texel-cross class: 

  • 1st prize: Glen McConnell – 48kg lambs sold for €215/head;
  • 2nd prize: Gordon Crockett – 47kg lambs sold for €160/head;
  • 3rd prize: Glen McConnell – 48kg lambs sold for €190/head.

Suffolk-cross class:

  • 1st prize: Daniel Harkin – 47kg lambs sold for €132/head;
  • 2nd prize: Kieran Bradley – 49kg lambs sold for €150/head;
  • 3rd prize: Raymond Patton – 45kg lambs sold for €117/head.

Anne continued by saying: “There were some great lambs on offer on Monday that weren’t even entered into the show. Overall, the stock on offer was of very good quality.

There were a lot of butchers and factory agents around the ring on Monday, while the demand for stores is still strong. There are farmers there for stores every week.

“Looking at the trade, those butcher lambs as we said sold up to €134/head and made back to €125/head. The factory lambs made up to €125/head, while stores, both short and long-keep, ranged from €80/head up to €115/head.

“Again, factory agents were active for heavy ewes. The top price for those lots was €140/head. The fleshed ewes regularly sold between €110/head and €120/head in general.

“There has been a good demand for them ewes the last few weeks and to be honest sheep are a bit scarce up our way.

“I know we had 900 sheep on Monday but I’d say a lot of that was on account of the show and sale and buyers being allowed back into the ring again.

“But, in general, numbers had eased off when we were just online. However, the trade hasn’t eased off and that’s the main thing. There’s a great demand for sheep out there at the minute,” Anne concluded.