The Mayo Blackface Group is getting ready to host its 15th annual show and sale on Saturday, September 28.
The sale is taking place at Ballinrobe Mart, Co. Mayo, and is due to commence at 11:00am. There will be over 2,000 sheep on offer, consisting of Mayo and Lanark type Blackface sheep.
These include:
- 1,000 lambs;
- 800 hoggets;
- 300 aged ewes.
A spokesperson for the group said: “The sheep on offer at this sale can be crossbred with any ram. These animals are hill reared and extremely hardy.
“The Mayo and Lanark Blackface sheep are: easy to manage; require less feeding than your average lowland breed; and are good mothers that produce quality lambs,” the spokesperson added.
“The sale has grown in popularity over the last 10 years. Members are very proud of the stock they present and the sale is now recognised as a significant hill breeding sale nationally,” the spokesperson concluded.
At last year’s sale, the average price achieved across the three sheep classes amounted to €102/head.
The average prices were:
- Hoggets: €110/head;
- Ewe lambs: €100/head;
- Aged ewes: €98/head.
Established
The Mayo Mountain Blackface Sheep Group was established in 2004 by enthusiastic hill sheep farmers.
The farmers set up the group in response to a situation where it became very difficult to source quality breeding sheep in substantial numbers to cater for local breeders.
The aims of the group are:
- To work together with the common goal of producing quality breeding stock;
- To promote the Mayo Blackface breed as a dam for producing crossbred replacements for lowland farmers;
- To organise a breeding sale for prime breeding sheep where producers can source top-quality stock;
- To work with processors both regionally and nationally to market both light and heavy lambs for group members to achieve maximum returns.