Farmers bringing their heavier lambs to Inishowen Livestock Mart in Co. Donegal for a sheep sale on Saturday, November 3 saw an improved trade since the previous sale.

Mart manager Harry Molloy told Agriland that the best prices on the day were those for store lambs, which he said there was "an edge for", but added that the "prices were definitely reflecting the number of stock that was there".

Molloy said that "the sale was a lot smaller than previous weeks", as while there was 2,000 sheep seen in the previous sale, the most recent sale at the mart on Saturday saw 1,100 pass through the ring.

This was anticipated by Molloy, who said the mart has had "some big sales in the last month so we were expecting a bit of a dip".

Molloy said that there weren't "many light lambs" at the sale, and the weights for the store lambs generally ranged from 37-40kg.

He said these lambs fetched an extra €5 "since the previous sale" but said this was due to the change in the "size of the sale rather than the trade".

Lamb prices

50-55kg lambs reached €148 to €160;
45-49kg lambs fetched prices of €133 to €142;
40-44kg lambs saw prices of €121 to €134;
35-40kg lambs ranged from €105 to €120.

Molloy commented on the "good enough quality" of the store lambs, and added there weren't "so many backwards stock that a few of the dealers have commented on.

The sale also held a special entry of eight hoggets (pictured above), but it was unique for this sale, as Molloy said "there was less breeding stock" at the sale, but the top price for hoggets on the day was €180/head.

Fat ewe prices

An 87kg ewe saw a price of €156;
A ewe weighing 84kg fetched a price of €132;
A 78kg ewe gathered a price of €136;
A ewe weighing 68kg sold for €96;
A 66kg ewe sold for €102.

While the Inishowen Livestock Mart manager said the breeding stock has "disappeared a bit" at the mart for this time of year, he is expecting the general number of sheep to increase for the next sale.

"It's just that time of year, when factory prices are rising and stocks are a bit scarcer. You can see things change week-on-week," he said.

Kingscourt Mart in Co. Cavan held a sheep sale on Monday (October 6), where heavy lambs were fetching prices of close to €150/head.

Prices at the sale included:

36kg lambs sold for €101/head;
40kg lambs fetched €112/head;
47kg lambs sold for €149/head;
74kg cull ewes fetched a price of €106/head;
43kg lambs sold for €123/head.

A sheep sale was held on Saturday, November 4, at Mountbellew Mart, Co. Galway where they saw increased numbers of lambs and breeding sheep than in the previous week.

There was an improved trade the store lambs, while factory lambs were also a good trade at the mart.

Lamb prices

13 ram lambs weighing 30kg sold for €76/head;
11 ewe lambs weighing 46kg fetched €124/head;
Five ewe lambs weighing 30kg sold for €79/head;
Ten ewe lambs weighing 49kg sold for €140/head;
Two ram lambs weighing 52kg saw a price of €140/head;
12 ewe lambs weighing 36kg reached a price of €109/head;
Seven ewe lambs weighing 34.7kg sold for €125/head.

Stag ewe prices

Three ewes weighing 56kg sold for €90/head;
Two ewes that weighed 93kg sold for €128/head;
Eight ewes weighing 69kg saw a price of €126/head;
Ten ewes, 70.5kg, €132/head;
One ram, 100kg, €190/head.

For breeding sheep, ewe hoggets prices went from €150 to €200, while first crop ewes made €120 to €140.

Breeding sheep met with a brisk trade, with the trade for stag ewes being similar to the previous week at the mart.