Lambs of all weights were being sought in sheep marts last week as grass growth jumped in many parts of the country, according to mart managers around the country.
Despite the fact that prices were back by 10c/kg, there is still good demand for lambs, Gordon Cobbe at
Tullamore Mart said.
There was a good demand last week, Cobbe said, and despite an increase in the number smaller lamb on offer, 99% of the animals up for sale sold on the day.
However, prices were back on previous weeks, Cobbe said.
Sample prices:
- 45kg lamb made €105
- Pen of 22 lambs weighing 47.5kg made €106
- Pen of 15 lambs weighing 47.5kg made €107
- 52kg lambs made €111
- 49kg lambs made €109
- 45kg lambs made €110
- 39kg lambs made €92
- 41kg lambs made €97
Cobbe also said that cast ewes of poor quality sold for €70/hd and the top cast ewe made €110.
Raphoe Mart
There was an excellent trade for sheep in general last Monday in Donegal’s Raphoe mart, with many farmers out buying sheep for grazing, Anne Harkin said.
The Mart Manager said lambs were most popular on the day with 700 head on offer.
Lambs weighing 47kg made €115 tops, Harkin said.
“A 49kg lamb would have made you €108.50 tops, while a lighter 41kg lamb would have fetched you €97.”
On the day, 32kg lambs were going for €83 and 29kg lambs made €71. While there weren’t many lambs this weight up for sale, there was a lot of buyers for this type of lamb, Harkin said.
The 40kg lamb was the most popular lamb on the day, with a lot of interest from farmers clearly seen, Harkin said.
Harkin said that a ewe with two lambs made €255 while a ewe with one lamb made €25 less.
The cast ewe trade remained steady, she said, with €109 the top price and €68 the bottom price on the day.