Brecon Market saw a firm trade for spring lambs on Tuesday, with quality once again doing much of the talking and buyers competing well across the board.

McCartney’s Brecon reported an SQQ of 456.3p/kg, with an overall average of 452p/kg for the spring lambs. Finished hoggets also sold to a steady demand, while cull sheep were a more mixed entry but still found homes at competitive prices.

Spring lambs met a buoyant trade throughout, particularly the lighter weights, with lambs under 45kg regularly making 450p/kg and better. A top of 460p/kg was achieved for lambs from A H J Jones & Son, while the best price per head was £207.03 for 45.5kg lambs from C & B Williams. T J E Jones & Son also saw a strong return, with 50kg lambs reaching £202.50. Auctioneers again stressed that more lambs are needed as the season moves into May.

Hogget trade was sharper than the previous week, especially for the lighter types, which met strong competition. Top prices reached 416p/kg on two occasions for T Thomas & Son and R J & C J Hughes. Export-type hoggets generally sold between £4/kg and 420p/kg, with a peak of 422p/kg for T J E Jones & Son. Heavier hoggets were a little harder to place on the day.

Cull sheep were not quite the same quality as of late, but trade held up well. Best fleshed ewes still made over £140, while leaner sorts eased back to around £90. A small entry of goats topped at £150 from R J & C J Hughes.