Sheep marts: No let up in the trade, as finished and store lambs continue to trade well

Another strong week of trading was seen at sheep marts over the past seven days, with butchers, wholesalers and factory agents continuing to be very active across sales.

The trade for lambs in excess of 50kg continues to fly, with prices of €123-126/head generally being exchanged; however, some lots continue to sell from €127-130/head and, on occasion, have been selling for €2-3/head more.

Lambs weighing slightly lighter in the 47-49kg bracket continue to be fiercely sought after and have been trading from €115/head up to €120/head, with select lots rising to €122-124/head.

Going further down in the weights, lambs in the 43-46kg range, have been selling from €108/head up to €116/head, with some lambs making that bit more in cases.

Those lambs in the 36-39kg bracket have generally been selling from €88/head up to €95/head, with again, nice-quality lots, particularly ewe lambs, making up closer to the €95-100/head mark.

Long-keep stores remain a vibrant trade, with good-quality lowland lambs in the 29-34kg bracket making anywhere from €80/head up to €90/head, with some lots breaking past the €90/head mark.

In terms of the cull ewe trade, mart managers are reporting that well-fleshed ewes are scarce; however, the trade for these lots remains good, with prices ranging from €105/head up to €120/head generally.

Some well-fleshed ewes have been making in excess of €120/head over the past week as well. Forward-type feeding ewes continue to trade well and have been generally selling from €80/head up to €95/head.

Dowra Mart

Dowra Mart manager, Terry McGovern, reported a smaller entry of sheep at last Friday’s sale (November 27).

However, he noted that the trade “maintained well”, with store lambs a dearer trade in comparison to the previous week.

On the day, factory lambs sold up to €122.50/head, while butcher lambs made up to €129.50/head.

Good-quality forward stores sold from €90/head up to a tops of €105.50/head, while lighter store lambs traded from €60/head up to €87/head.

Heavy ewes sold up to a top price of €108/head. Light, store ewes made from €45/head up to €70/head, while those more forward-type feeding ewes started from €80/head.

Enniscorthy Mart

Enniscorthy’s Kevin Murphy reported a big sheep sale for the time of year at last Wednesday’s sale (November 25).

Store lambs were reported to be better by €2-3/head. All classes of sheep continue to sell well at the Wexford-based mart, with butcher lambs making up to a top price of €128/head.

Factory lambs were fiercely contested for, with factory agents keen on getting a hold of a steady supply of lambs. In general, finished lambs sold from €109/head up to €121/head.

Stores, as mentioned already, were a stronger trade in comparison to the week before. Light store prices ranged from €84/head up to €100/head, while forward-type stores made from €96/head up to €108/head.

Heavy cull ewes remain scarce in Enniscorthy. Prices reached €117/head for well-fleshed ewes. Forward-type feeding ewes made up to €95/head.