Tullow Mart held its weekly sheep sale on Tuesday, March 3. AgriLand made the trip down to see what the trade was like, while also having a chat with the mart manager Eric Driver.

There was a good entry of sheep on the day, with a strong trade for any good-quality well-fleshed hoggets that were fit for the factory.

[colored_box color="green"]Furthermore, there was plenty of interest around the ring for heavy ewes, with any lots weighing upwards of 95kg making anywhere from €132/head up to €160/head – depending on the quality.[/colored_box]

Similar to previous weeks, there was a good trade for in-lamb ewes, with mature ewes scanned with one lamb making up to €150/head, with younger ewes scanned with two lambs making up to €170/head.

Speaking to AgriLand after the sale, the mart manager, Eric Driver, said: “Overall, there was a good trade, with heavier hoggets easier by €1.00-2.00/head compared to the previous week.

“However, prices for good-quality hoggets held out well, with €143/head being achieved for hoggets weighing upwards of 50kg.

“In the brood ring, there was a lively trade for in-lamb ewes and ewes with lambs at foot. Aged ewes with a lamb at foot made up to €155/head, while ewes with two lambs at foot made up to €235/head.

“It is great to see such a good trade for butcher ewes and hoggets at this time of the year,” Eric concluded.

Hoggets

There was a strong entry of both heavy and lighter types of hoggets at Tullow Mart on Tuesday, March 3. There was plenty of interest from farmers for nice-quality ewe hoggets, that would be suitable for breeding.

Furthermore, there was plenty of competition between farmers and factory agents for well-fleshed butcher hoggets, with prices for these lots upwards of €140/head.

Hoggets weighing 45-50kg made between €120/head up to €130/head, while lots weighing 40-45kg made between €115-120/head.

There was a solid trade for forward store hoggets, with prices for these lots ranging from €91/head up to €115/head.

There was a number of lighter hoggets on offer, with these lots weighing between 23kg and 32kg. In general, prices for these lots ranged between €72/head up to €88/head.

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 hammer/sale price.

[gallery ids="471417,471418,471419,471420,471421,471422"] [colored_box color="green"]

Sample hogget prices: 

Seven hoggets weighing 36kg sold for €91/head;
21 hoggets weighing 51kg sold for €132/head;
20 hoggets weighing 50kg sold for €132/head;
10 hoggets weighing 50kg sold for €133/head;
15 hoggets weighing 48kg sold for €128/head;
Two hoggets weighing 30kg sold for €72/head;
Two hoggets weighing 38kg sold for €115/head;
Six hoggets weighing 32kg sold for €88/head.

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Cast ewes

There was a large number of butcher and feeding ewes on offer, with plenty of interest from factory agents for these lots – due to the fact that factories are offering up to €3.00/kg for factory-fit ewes.

Butcher ewes weighing upwards of 95kg were a very strong trade, with prices ranging between €132/head and €160/head – depending on the quality and flesh cover.

Feeding ewes were also a solid trade, with ewes weighing up to 70kg making up to €98/head.

In-lamb ewes

There was a lively trade for good-quality in-lamb ewes. However, prices were back as much as €10/head compared to last week.

There was a small number of these lots on offer, with the majority of them set to lamb down at the end of March.

In general, prices for these lots ranged between €158/head and €170/head. The majority of these lots were made up of two and three-year-old ewes, with some four-year-old ewes included as well.

Ewes with lambs at foot

There was a strong number of ewes with lambs at foot on offer for the time of year. There were some nice-quality lots on offer.

There was a number of aged ewes carrying one lamb on offer, with these lots making up to €150/head. A young ewe with one lamb at foot sold for €185/head. Ewes with two at lambs at foot made up to €235/head.

In general, prices for ewes with two lambs at foot ranged between €180/head and €230/head – depending on the quality and age of the ewe.

[gallery ids="471463,471464,471465,471466,471467,471468"] [colored_box color="green"]

Sample prices for ewes with lambs at foot: 

Two three-year-old ewes with two lambs at foot sold for €180/head;
One ewe with two lambs at foot and one ewe with one lamb at foot sold for €210/head;
Two ewes with two lambs at foot sold for €225/head.

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