MORE THAN 2,000 sheep were on display for the recent annual show and sale at Baltinglass Mart.
The event welcomed sheep owners and buyers from all over the country, making it a bigger event than in previous years. This led to record prices for sheep stock, with Suffolk Cross Hogget ewes making a top price of €188.
However, it wasn’t just the top price that impressed farmers. Prices ranged from €130 to €188 for Suffolk Cheviot Cross ewes, achieving some of the best prices in the trade for some time.
For Cheviot Suffolk Cross lambs, the prices ranged from €80, with a top price of €140.
“Overall trade was very good, we had an almost complete clearance,” said auctioneer Joe Kinsella of Baltinglass Livestock Sales.
Mr Kinsella outlined a very definite pick-up in sheep sales, with a return to sheep farming noted in the past year.
“There is a huge scarcity of two-, threeand four-year-old ewes because a lot of farmers held back sheep stock on account of the poor prices last year,” explained Mr Kinsella.
The show and sale welcomed judges from Northern Ireland who had the tough task of selecting the winning ewes and lambs.
The next show and sale at Baltinglass Livestock Sales will take place on Saturday 22 August, while Aughrim sheep breeders will host their annual sales in Baltinglass on 10 September.