With nearly half of 2026 behind us, trade at Carnew Mart has remained strong across both the sheep and dairy rings this year, according to yard manager Eugene Clune.

Speaking to Agriland, Clune said the sheep trade started slowly at the beginning of the year before strengthening significantly from March onwards.

"The trade started off quiet enough probably the first two months, but once we hit the first week of March, the hoggets took off and finished up a very good trade," he said.

Clune noted that the strong demand for hoggets was particularly important for farmers returning to buy stores.

Heavy hoggets at last week's sale sold from €235-€245/head, while prices for spring lambs remained strong as well.

"There was a very large entry of spring lambs last week and a lot them were hitting €240-€245/head, which is great to see for the farmers who put in the effort during early lambing," the yard manager commented.

In addition to lambs and hoggets, there was a steady demand for ewes around the ring throughout spring.

Clune added: "There were an awful lot of ewes here the whole spring and they made a very strong trade, with quality ewes hitting up to €500 on numerous occasions."

Dairy trade

Last Thursday (May 28) marked the last dairy sale for the year at Carnew Mart.

Clune described this year's dairy trade as "quite positive in comparison to the milk price", although the mart manager admitted he did have concerns at the start of 2026.

"We would have started the year quiet enough with numbers and I would have been very nervous about the trade at the beginning of the year," he said.

However, the yard manager outlined that a successful clearance sale held at the mart during the end of January helped to set the tone for the spring dairy trade.

According to Clune, Carnew Mart held between five and six dairy sales each month during March and April, with one sale at the end of March recording the highest price average for a dairy sale at the mart.

He said: "We averaged €3,500 for a herd of cows at that sale in March.

Clune also pointed to the strong interest in Friesian bull calves and heifer calves this year as a positive sign for the sector going forward.

"The big advantage was a lot of men were interested in bull and heifers and Friesian heifer calves, which hopefully means the future is bright for the dairy industry," he added.