Sheep marts: In-lamb ewes make up to €175/head at Carnew Mart

Mart managers across the country are reporting a strong start to 2020, with prices for all classes of sheep up by at least €5.00/head.

The first sale of the year saw many in-lamb ewes on offer – with a lively trade for these lots – which saw prices in this section range from €120/head up to €175/head.

Furthermore, mart managers reported a number of ewes and lambs at foot for sale, with prices for these lots ranging from €128/head up to €155/head.

Likewise, there was a strong demand for store and factory-fit lambs. Store lamb prices are ranging between €90/head and €98/head for lambs weighing between 38kg and 44kg.

Moreover, factory-fit and butcher lamb prices are ranging from €96/head up to €119/head for lambs weighing between 45kg and 62kg.

Finally, the cull ewe trade continues to thrive, with mart managers reporting prices of up to €140/head in this section.

It is worth noting that a tightening of supplies and factory prices of between 505c/kg and 520c/kg for lambs are driving the mart trade across the country.

Baltinglass Mart

Baltinglass Mart held its first sale of 2020 on Saturday, January 4. There was a good trade, with a strong demand for lambs, according to the mart manager, Tom Coleman.

There was a large number of sheep on offer for the time of year, with heavy lambs up by €7.00-8.00/head.

Furthermore, store lambs were met with a strong demand, with prices for these lots up €5.00/head.

Likewise, the cast ewe trade has carried on from where it left off before Christmas, with prices for these lots ranging from €85/head up to €120/head.

Headford Mart

Headford Mart held its opening sale of 2020 on Saturday, January 4.

There was a lively trade, with prices for lambs similar to what they were before Christmas, according to the mart manager, Joe Wynne.

Butcher and factory-fit lamb prices ranged from €96/head up to €126/head, with the top of the store lambs making €95/head.

Furthermore, ewe prices ranged from €135/head up to €170/head.

Dowra Mart

There was a large entry of sheep on offer at Dowra Mart’s opening sale of 2020. The sale took place on Saturday last, January 4.

There was a strong trade for all classes of sheep – especially factory-fit lambs – according to the mart manager, Patsy Smyth.

On the day, crossbred in-lamb hoggets made from €125/head up to €150/head.

Factory-fit lambs made from €106/head up to a top price of €121.50/head for a pen of lambs weighing 52kg. Furthermore, forward store lambs made from €85/head up to a top price of €100.50/head for a pen of lambs weighing 42kg.

Carnew Mart

Carnew Mart held its opening sale of 2020 on Thursday, January 2. There was a good trade across all the sheep classes, with prices for heavy sheep up €5.00/head, according to the mart manager, David Quinn.

Moreover, store lamb prices were up €7.00-8.00/head compared to before Christmas. On the day, the top price was €122.50/head for a pen of hoggets.

Likewise, there was a lively trade for cull ewes, with prices up €10.00/head for these lots. The top price on the day in this section was €144/head. Furthermore, prices for these lots ranged from €70/head for lighter lots up to €144/head for heavier lots.

The first of this year’s in-lamb ewes were on offer last week, with prices for these lots ranging from €120/head up to €175/head.