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Sheep
Sheep Trends: hogget prices turn a corner
Darren Carty
Prices have stabilised and agents are showing much more interest in sheep this week, with higher-priced deals going for larger batches of hoggets
5 February 2025 Markets
Sheep mart prices: agents more keen for hoggets
Mart managers report agents exhibiting greater bite for hoggets as the week progresses, with prices steadying and firming by in cases by €1 to €3/head.
5 February 2025 Markets
Camera at the Mart: top third of heifers average over €4/kg in Carnew
While a record-breaking price of €6,040 for a 458kg Belgian Blue-cross heifer set the main headline, the trade for quality heifers was described as phenomenal, ranging from €3.50/kg to €4.50/kg.
Sheep management: ewe nutrition, colostrum and schmallenberg virus
Ewe nutrition in late gestation has a profound effect on lamb birth weights, colostrum quality and yield and ewe mothering ability.
5 February 2025 Management
Scheme payments update: €1.3m paid under BISS and CRISS
There were payments of €290,000 under the 2024 Areas of Natural Constraint, with small sums also paid out under the Protein Aid Scheme and the Tillage Incentive Scheme.
5 February 2025 Schemes
Teeth issues significant cause of thin ewes
The results from the Department of Agriculture / Teagasc Thin Ewe Scheme showed teeth issues as the main contributor to thin ewes in 17% of ewes in the study
5 February 2025 Breeding & health
Hogget prices stabilise and rebound
Agents have been more active in recent days in sourcing hoggets, with prices ranging from €8.80/kg to €9/kg.
5 February 2025 Markets
Sheep price update: price pressure remains as factories push for another 10c/kg
Plants have reduced base quotes for Tuesday to €8.50/kg with opening negotiations for quality assured hoggets starting in the region of €8.60/kg to €8.70/kg.
3 February 2025 Markets
Poor-quality silage: is all-concentrates an option?
Ad-lib diets work well for some farmers in reducing labour, but how do they compare to silage-based diets on cost and labour input?
2 February 2025 Lambing
In pictures: 1,020kg cow sells for €2,990 in Castlerea Mart
The trade for quality weanlings was vibrant with live export buyers driving the trade for bulls and pushing prices to upwards of €3.80/kg to €4/kg.
31 January 2025 Markets
Sheep Trends: hogget quotes down 20c/kg to 30c/kg
Opening prices for quality assured hoggets are in the region of €8.80/kg, with some deals continuing to be completed at €8.90/kg and €9/kg at the top end of the market.
29 January 2025 Markets
Camera at the Mart: red-hot trade for beef in Ballinasloe
When it came to beef cattle, flesh cover and quality were paramount, with little notice taken of age and moves once the cattle were right.
29 January 2025 Markets