The Suffolk Premier Show and Sale took place at Blessington Mart, yesterday, Bank Holiday Monday, August 2.
There was a brisk trade on the day with the highest price going to a ram that was the progeny of Richard Thompson’s flock Ballinatone Suffolks.
A top call of €44,000 was made for the pedigree Suffolk ram.
The ram was Lot number 70, the first lamb forward for Ballinatone Suffolks – sired by Solwaybank Sapphire 2.
The second highest price of the day went to the Supreme Champion, Lot number 158, bred from Darragh McMenamin’s flock Mullinvale Suffolks.
This ram was purchased by William Tait’s Burnview Flock for €34,000.
Suffolk sale statistics
According to the online bidding platform, MartEye, 86% of lots at the sale received an online bid and 43% of lots at the sale were sold to online bidders.
There were 106 individual online bidders from across Europe on the day and the sale was viewed on MartEye by almost 4,000 farmers.
There were over 200 lots of Suffolk sheep on offer at the sale, the majority of which were Suffolk ram lambs.
In light of the newly approved Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s (DAFM’s) breeding program and the availability of Zootechnical Certificates on the day, sheep could be approved for export directly from the sale.
Interest from European countries and the UK was said to be “very keen”, resulting in a large number of sheep from the sale being purchased by flock owners from other countries.
Home buyers were also said to be very active on the day with dozens of rams being sold to owners of Irish commercial flocks.
Judges on the day were Mr. William Tait and Mr. David Corrigan.
The Suffolk Sheep Society’s president Mr. William Fleming was also in attendance at the sale in Blessington on the day.