Cull ewe trade ramps up as prices breach the €200/head mark last week

Many mart managers Agriland spoke to last week were quick to note the blistering cull ewe trade, particularly in the case of heavy ewes which saw prices break the €200/head mark at some sales.

Cull ewes breach the €200/head mark at marts last week

At the start of last week, Kilkenny and Raphoe Mart witnessed prices break the €200/head mark for cull ewes, while Tullow and Enniscorthy saw prices breach the €190/head mark for heavy ewes.

Also Read: ‘Buoyant trade’ seen at Tullow on Tuesday, as cull ewes hit €198 and lambs €170

Many ewes over 90kg sold between €140/head up to €170-180/head at marts last week, with tight supplies aiding the trade at some sales.

Lamb prices vary greatly

Mixed reports came back from mart managers regarding the lamb trade, with some marts seeing an improved trade, while generally most said prices eased, in cases by €2-5/head.

There was quite a bit of variation in prices paid out for lambs, with heavy lambs selling from €150/head as high as €170/head as seen at Athenry and Tullow last week but in general, prices ranged from €15–160/head.

Also Read: Pics from the mart: Lambs top €170/head at Athenry on Monday

Again, there was quite a bit of variation in prices paid out for factory lambs, with the general run of prices ranging from €135/head for 39-40kg well-fleshed lambs up to highs of €150-155/head for 46-47kg lambs.

While the store lamb trade, any mart managers Agriland spoke to last week said that any ‘nice store lambs’ were a good trade, with lesser-quality lambs not as hot a trade.

Prices for store lambs again varied greatly, from as far back as €95/head up to €128/head in general.

Ewe hoggets also break the €200/head mark at sales

Although early in the year yet, small entries of breeding ewe hoggets are catching the eye at sales, with prices over the past week breaking the €200/head mark.

At Enniscorthy Mart on Wednesday (June 16) a special entry of 60 ewe hoggets sold strongly from €214/head up to a tops of €234/head.

Also Read: Pics: Early signs look positive as ewe hoggets top €234 at Enniscorthy

The general run of prices at marts last week for ewe hoggets ranged from €170/head up to €225/head.

Carnew Mart

David Quinn of Carnew Mart reported a bigger entry of sheep at Thursday’s (June 17) sale – which saw 1,820 head on offer.

David said that there was an excellent selling trade seen across the board. Looking at the lamb trade first, heavy lamb prices topped out at €160/head for 51kg.

Factory lamb prices breached the €150/head, while a good store lamb trade was witnessed, which saw a good number of stores sell for €100-122/head.

Breeding ewe hoggets at Carnew Mart on Thursday last made from €170/head up to a high of €228/head – which is a great sign; early days for breeding sheep.

Meanwhile, the cull ewe trade continues to amaze, with heavy ewe prices topping €196/head and selling back to €145/head. Lighter store-type ewes made sold back to €90/head.

Lastly, ewes with lambs at foot traded from €200/head up to €280/head.

Sample butcher and factory lamb prices:

22 at 51kg sold for €160/head;
15 at 55kg sold for €159/head;
23 at 47kg sold for €151/head;
25 at 46kg sold for €149/head;
15 at 42kg sold for €145/head.

Sample store lamb prices:

21 at 36kg sold for €120/head;
22 at 37kg sold for €121/head;
23 at 31kg sold for €103/head;
22 at 29kg sold for €102/head.

Dowra Mart

An easing of the trade for lambs was seen at Dowra Mart on Friday last (June 18) according to the mart’s manager, Terry McGovern.

A good entry of factory-fit lambs was seen, while more store lambs are starting to appear, Terry said.

Overall, lambs were back €2-5/head from last week’s prices with a top call of €155/head for heavy lambs and a top of €166/head for cull ewes with 100% clearance recorded.

Sample butcher and factory lamb prices: