Spring Lambs
Whitsuntide Bank Holiday sale of Spring Lambs at Lancaster saw a far better trade than expected taking into consideration the bank holiday and the end of the Ramadan festival over the weekend. Once again, there was strong demand for those best quality lambs topping at £127 or 310p/kg for Beltex from JS Horner, Clapham with other Beltex lambs from this consignment selling to £122 and £120. This was closely followed by £125 from S Wilson & Son, Scotforth, once again, with Beltex lambs. Closely behind this was 44kg Texel lambs selling to £124 from EM Cooper, Thornton in Cleveleys and RC Billington & Son, Claughton on Brock. This was followed by £123 for 42kg Blue Texels from T Smith, Pilling and at £121 was a pair of Texel lambs from C & A Fletcher, Goosnargh. Many more pens to mention selling in the late hundred and teens.
Top pence per kilo this week was achieved by KA Purtil, Wigan selling Beltex lambs to 313p/kg or £119. This was closely followed by 311p/kg or £118 from S Wilson & Son, Scotforth with Beltex lambs selling to 310p/kg, 305p/kg and 300p/kg from JS Horner with W Garnett & Son, Milnthorpe topping at 305p/kg. Plenty of pens of good conformation lambs sold between 280p/kg and 300p/kg.
Suffolk lambs topped at £113 from WN & D Smith & Sons, Cockerham. Light weight lambs between 32-36kg continue to meet plenty demand with the very best quality 36kg lambs selling to £107 from S Wilson & Son and G & D Ball & Son, Little Eccleston.
All spring lambs forward today averaged 258p/kg or £104.88 with an SQQ of 262p/kg.
8 Dorsets to £108 av. £100.13 or 263p/kg
77 Suffolks to £113 av. £104.41 or 251p/kg
83 Continental to £118 av. £103.88 or 249p/kg
46 Charollais to £110 av. £101.30 or 263p/kg
342 Texel to £124 av. £105.26 or 261p/kg
12 Beltex to £127 av. £115.25 or 291p/kg
Prime Hoggs
As the Prime Hogg seasons comes to a close there was small number on offer selling to a varied trade depending on the quality of the hogg. The trade topped at £103 for Texels from J & A Sheering, Quernmore. Top pence per kilo was 221p/kg for Scottish Blackface from P & S Robinson, Claughton on Brock with hoggs from the same home selling to 220p/kg and 215p/kg for Cheviots. There was an SQQ average of 186p/kg.
Cast Sheep
There were fewer cast ewes forward this week saw the trade top at £108 for Texels from JS Horner, Clapham this was followed by Suffolks to £91 from EM Cooper, Thorton in Cleveleys with other Suffolks to £89 from GB Holt, Rossendale. Mule ewes topped at £74 from KA Purtil, Wigan with others pens of stronger Mule ewes selling in the early seventies. Horned ewes saw Swaledales sell to £58 from BD Wood, Out Rawcliffe and W Pinder Jnr, Newton in Bowland.