560 sheep were on offer at Carnew Mart on Thursday last, December 31, in what was described as a super trade by the mart’s manager, David Quinn.

According to David, prices were up €5-10/head on pre-Christmas sales, with a top price of €141/head being achieved for a pen of 20 lambs weighing 63kg.

Lambs in excess of 50kg sold strongly on the day, with 51-55kg lambs selling between €132/head and €139/head.

Well-fleshed lambs in the 47-49kg bracket were also in high demand, with prices for these lots ranging from €125 up to €129/head, with some lots in certain cases making upwards of €130/head.

Cull ewes also traded well on the day, with heavy cull ewes topping out at €135/head. Feeding ewes started from €78/head.

A selection of in-lamb ewes (broken mouthed) sold from €135/head up to €145/head.