As lambing is well underway, the temptation to sell ewes with lambs at foot to get sheep away sooner is always a tricky one and the sales are just starting to kick off.

A shortage of grass growth for the time of year due to poor weather conditions is another reason why getting rid of sheep as soon as possible might be a good idea – but buyers have a lack of grazing too and so it is almost a contradiction that the trade is holding up well.

With most sales just starting to kick off and many Scottish markets planning to have their opening sales next week, supply should also continue to pick up.

Ewes with lambs at foot sales started off the season well with a strong trade due to the confidence in the industry and lamb prices remaining strong throughout the process.

Aberdeen and Northern Marts, at Thainstone, sold 145 ewes with lambs at foot at its recent sale to average £68 per head, selling to a top of £98 per head for Beltex ewes with a single from Mains of Allanbuie, Keith.

However, Longtown Auction Market has been a step ahead, having had a ewe and lamb sale since the back end of February and getting customers through the door to purchase the lots.

“Bigger numbers are coming through now and will be up slightly on the year. There will be more to come to the market in the next fortnight or so and the customers are there, so the trade has and will be good,” John Walton, C and D Auction Mart’s auctioneer at Longtown, told The Scottish Farmer.

He sold 150 outfits at this week’s sale, with trade reaching £118 per life for a Beltex cross gimmer and single lamb from Caleb Todhunter, Greyrigg House.

“Trade has also been marvellous, being £10-£12 up on the year per life across the board. The customers are keen to get ewes and lambs on the ground without the hassle of lambing them, there is a lot of confidence in the industry at the moment which is helping hold that price up.

“The grass isn’t as forward as the same period as last year, so farmers are looking to off load them sooner than they normally do to keep as much grass as they can,” he added.

Also, across the Border, Harrison and Hetherington’s Carlisle centre conducted its weekly sale, which soared to £112 per life for a Texel cross ewe with a single Texel cross lamb at foot from TH and J Robinson, Burtholme.

Many more outfits could have been sold to meet growing buyer demand with more expected next Monday, according to Joe Bowman, a sheep auctioneer with Harrison and Hetherington.

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Speaking ahead of Lawrie and Symington’s sale at Lanark, on April 21, Archie Hamilton, head of sheep sales at Lawrie and Symington, said: “I anticipate them being a good trade this year, or at least on par with last year. The fact that store cattle are so dear might encourage some of those men to buy ewes and lambs instead.

“The weather needs to improve to get some heat into the ground and get some growth to get things moving again,” he said.

Prices continue to hold up across the country pushed by EU sheep meat production in 2023 which could be limited by flocks declining yet still puts confidence in the industry.

The December, 2022, survey showed the EU flock had shrunk by 1.5m head against the year before, suggesting there could be a shortage later in the year.