Now in its 55th year, the Borris Ewe Breeders’ show and sale drew crowds from afar on Thursday, August 16.
Local breeders offered 1,800 sheep on the day and, although the trade for ewe lambs was a little tricky, quality hoggets were in demand.
Commenting on the ewe lamb trade, James Walsh, manager of Leinster Marts, said: “About 750 lambs were on offer, which was slightly bigger than last year.
“The trade was difficult enough, but within that prices of €155 were achieved for the best pens of ewe lambs and about 30% of the lambs sold for €110-155.”
Ewe lamb prize winners:
- Sean Ryan;
- Niamh Hennessy;
- Padraig Joyce;
- Watt Cummins;
- Paddy Mulrooney.
Click on a thumbnail in the gallery (below) to open up a full-size image; once opened you can scroll sideways to see the next picture. Refer to each caption to see details of each lot, including the sale price.
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- Claiming first prize for Sean Ryan, this pen of ewe lambs sold for €155/head
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- The third prize winners on the day, a pen of 47kg ewe lambs, sold for €155/head
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- Weighing 51.5kg, this pen of speckled-faced ewe lambs traded at €120/head
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- This pen of ewe lambs caught the eye on the day. Weighing 36kg, they sold for €100/head
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- Sold by a local farmer, this pen of ewe lambs fetched €95/head
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- A well-grown bunch of ewe lambs, weighing 51.5kg, sold for €120/head
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- Standing at 40kg on the scales, this pen of speckled ewe lambs brought €117/head
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- Although slightly darker than some of the other lots on offer, this pen of 39kg lambs made €90/head
Hoggets
Continuing, Walsh said: “1,100 hoggets were in the sale and the trade for these was tight enough going. But, having said that, the clearance rate would be up at 80%.
Purchasers were a bit more selective and the best of the pens would have made from €200-230/head, while a lot of hoggets sold for €185-200/head.
“We had buyers from Cavan, Sligo and Roscommon; but fewer Northern Irish buyers were in attendance, as Brexit is causing some uncertainty.”
Hogget prize winners:
- James McCathy;
- Larry Farrell;
- Seamus O’Kelly;
- Martin Hayden;
- James Kavanagh.
He added: “We also noticed that there were fewer buyers from the areas hardest hit by the drought. In other years, we’d have buyers from Tipperary and Waterford, but they weren’t in attendance.”
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- Consigned by James McCarthy, this pen of hoggets claimed the red rosette and topped the sale at €230/head
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- Offered by Larry Farrell, this pen of hoggets was awarded second prize and sold for €218/head
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- This pen of 10 hogget ewes sold for €210/head
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- Offered by a local breeder, this pen of hoggets sold for €202/head
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- This pen of grey-faced hogget ewes sold for €191/head
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- Offered by local breeder Jimmy Dalton, these hogget ewes sold for €195/head
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- There was plenty of interest for this pen of hogget ewes, which sold for €195/head
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- A little lighter than some of the previous lots, this pen of hoggets sold for €170/head
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- The third prize winners on the day, offered by Seamus O’Kelly, made €212/head
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- This pen of speckled-faced hoggets took home the pink rosette for James Kavanagh. They sold for €195/head
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- Settling at around €200/head, there was plenty of interest in this pen of hoggets
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- From the same stable as the first prize winners, this pen of hogget ewes traded at €202/head
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- This pen of strong hogget ewes sold for €187/head
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- Following in the wake of some of the earlier prices achieved, these hoggets sold for €182/head
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- Auctioneer John Maher had no difficulty finding a buyer for this pen of hoggets at €181/head
The Borris Ewe Breeders’s Association will hold its next sale on September 13.