Swatragh Mart: Good seasonal entry of quality cattle

Heifers selling to £910 for 434kg (£2.10 per kg), young heifers selling to £795 for 338kg (£2.35 per kg), bullocks selling to £870 for 408kgs (£2.13 per kg), young bullocks selling to £775 for 300kg (£2.58 per kg) with fat cows selling to £895.

Heifers: Swatragh producer 376kg, £765; 398kg, £745; 434kg, £910; Swatragh producer 332kg, £700; 444kg, £755; 328kg, £750; Maghera producer 350kg, £650; Swatragh producer 338kg, £795; 266kg, £570; 354kg, £670.

Bullocks: Cookstown producer 320kg, £825; 322kg, £830; Kilrea producer 372kg, £650; 340kg, £640; 380kg, £680; Maghera producer 256kg, £600; 240kg, £595; 300kg, £775; 278kg, £665; 250kg, £580; 256kg, £635; Maghera producer 320kg, £665; 268kg, £600; 276kg, £695; 322kg, £780; Magherafelt producer 436kg, £750; 378kg, £860; 334kg, £500; Maghera producer 416kg, £855; 408kg, £870; Portstewart producer 310kg, £545; 378kg, £695.

Sheep: Almost 900 good quality sheep were presented at our weekly sheep sale at Swatragh on Saturday 18th February, witnessing a solid lamb trade with top prices being paid. Several pens of heavy lambs sold well in excess of £86.00 each to a top rate of £88.80, middleweight lambs sold to £84.00 for 23kg and fat ewes sold to £96.00. A small show of breeders were entered, with springers topping at £128. Several lots of ewes with singles made £125 and doubles to £153 for young lambs at foot. More stock required to meet the demand.

Sample prices:

Heavyweight lambs: Limavady producer 15 lambs 27kg at £88.80 = 329p; 10 lambs 24kg at £87.00 = 363p; Draperstown producer 9 lambs 25kg at £86.50 = 346p; Magherafelt producer 2 lambs 26kg at £86.50 = 333p; Maghera producer 8 lambs 24kg at £84.50 = 352p; Randalstown producer 11 lambs 25kg at £87.80 = 351p; Garvagh producer 14 lambs 25.5kg at £86.50 = 339p; Maghera producer 12 lambs 25.5kg at £83.60 = 328p; Dungiven producer 16 lambs 26kg at £86.80 = 334p; Claudy producer 7 lambs 24.3kg at £84.20 = 347p; Ahoghill producer 7 lambs 24.25kg at £82.40 = 340p; Maghera producer 36 lambs 24kg at £86.20 = 359p; Maghera producer 19 lambs 24.5kg at £85.75 = 350p.

Middleweight lambs: Tobermore producer 5 lambs 23kg at £84.00 = 365p; Magherafelt producer 8 lambs 22.8kg at £81.50 = 357p; Draperstown producer 5 lambs 22.75kg at £79.00 = 347p; Coleraine producer 23 lambs 23kg at £82.00 = 357p; 11 lambs 23kg at £79.00 = 343p; Stewartstown producer 4 lambs at 22kg at £79.50 = 361p; Limavady producer 12 lambs 22.9kg at £80.20 = 350p; Kilrea producer 6 lambs 22.3kg at £80.50 = 361p; Claudy producer 18 lambs 22.5kg at £77.80 = 346p; Dungiven producer 14 lambs 23.5kg at £83.80 = 357p.

Store lambs: Magherafelt producer 14 lambs 19.3kg at £70.80 = 367p; Magherafelt producer 2 lambs 13kg at £51.50 = 396p; Maghera producer 8 lambs 15.8kg at £59.00 = 373p; Limavady producer 5 lambs 15.8kg at £59.50 = 377p; Dungiven producer 5 lambs 18kg at £56.50 = 313p; 22 lambs 19.3kg at £65.50 = 339p; Draperstown producer 2 lambs 18.5kg at £70.00 = 378p; Kilrea producer 7 lambs 17kg at £67.00 =394p; Dungiven producer 3 lambs 16kg at £61.00 = 381p.

Ewes: Magherafelt producer 3 Texel at £96.