If someone was travelling along the Greenore Road in Carlingford on the first Saturday in September they would be forgiven for stopping to take in the spectacle of the Cooley Sheep Breeders Association annual sale.

On a greenfield site the sale has become a focal point for local breeders to sell breeding ewe lambs and hoggets and on this week’s OviCast, Ciarán Lynch is joined by Conor McCann, the current chairman of the association, and local Teagasc advisor, Hugh Rooney, to explain more about the sale and how it came about.

Hugh and Conor give the background to how the sale was set up and how it has developed over the years. Conor explains how the exhibitors are all local to the area and what kind of stock is on offer in this multibreed sale.

They discuss the unique setting and the effort that goes into setting it up to accommodate the sale. There’s strong community spirit behind the event and Hugh explains how it provides a means of adding value to the product they are producing.

Conor discusses how the move online last year influenced the sale and how as an association they are continually trying to improve the service for potential purchasers such as providing free transport which was an initiative started last year.

The sale has grown significantly over the years from just over 1000 breeding females on offer the first year to over 4000 in this current sale and Conor acknowledges all those who have helped along the way to help make this a successful addition to the area.

For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast