Pigs
There was an abundance of 91 weaners forward at today’s sale. Top price was £36 for smart Pietrain x Saddleback gilts from J Miller, Lancaster with others to £24 from J McEwan, Dumfries and £21 from A Preston, Whitehaven. All weaners forwards sold to a market average of £18. 25 Store pigs sold to £66 for Large White x Duroc gilts from AJ & EJ Platt, Barrow in Furness who sold hoggs at £50. Coloured stores sold to £43 from A Diss, Pennington. All stores averaged £36.
There were 5 Cull sows experiencing competitive bidding with weight and finish selling to a premium. Top-grossing was £131 or 82p/kg for a Pietrain x from B Harrison, Windermere with others to 49p/kg from J Miller, Lancaster. Cull boars sold to £120 or 65p/kg from B Harrison, Windermere.
Prime pigs continued the strong trade of recent sales with all 39 forward averaging 110p/kg selling to 164p/kg for a Large White x boar from M Bennett, Penrith with other well-finished pigs (86kg – 110kg) highly sought after achieving 140p/kg–155p/kg. Top-grossing today was £160 achieved by JM Navesey, Darwen and J McEwan, Dumfries both selling heavyweight gilts. Endless pens sold between £125 and £135, with lighter weights selling between £95 and £110. Several buyers were unable to fill orders today; keep the pigs coming.
Next sale is Tuesday 26th November for Prime Pigs.
Prime Lambs
North West Auctions held their weekly sale of Prime Lambs at J36 with 1194 forward selling to an overall market average of 184p/kg and an SQQ 188p/kg. Once again, best conformation and well-fleshed lambs in strongest demand and easily sold in excess of the 200p/kg mark. Topping at 226p/kg was Beltex lambs from JG & PH Thompson, Selside with Texels selling to the same price from WH Kitchen, Helsington. Other Beltex lambs sold to 218p/kg from AE Atkinson & Son, Endmoor, 215p/kg and 214p/kg from RHM & S Boyren, Ulverston and 215p/kg and 214p/kg, again, from JG & PH Thompson. Beltex lambs sold to a top of £100 from EM Standing, Witherslack. Heavy Suffolk lambs sold to a top of £98.50 from R & EA Gardner, Brigsteer and £98 from JN & DJ Bowes, Crook and David Koller, Over Kellet, with other Suffolks selling to £97 from S Kellet & Sons, Pilling. Texel lambs sold to £98 from AR & BJ Thompson and WH Kitchen & Son with other Texels selling to £97 from M Moorhouse, Grange over Sands and RR & JA Knowles, Docker. There were a further thirty-five pens of lambs easily selling into the nineties.
Upland bred lambs saw Cheviots sell to £88 from R Lawrence, Grange over Sands with Mules topping at £82 from Strickland Hill Farming, Witherslack, £81.50 from R Lawrence and £81 from WI & A Atkinson & Son, Bleasdale.
Cast Ewes
The cast ewe trade continues to improve with, once again, a slightly sharper trade at J36. Topping the trade was Texel ewes selling to £107 from Messrs Young, Lindale with other Texel ewes selling to £98 from K Birkett, Burton in Kendal. Plenty more pens of Continental and Suffolk ewes sold either side of the £90 mark. Mule cast ewes sold to a top of £75 from S Kellet & Sons, Pilling with plenty more pens of strong Mule and Masham ewes selling in the early seventies. Horned ewes sold to a top of £61 for Rough Fells from RJ & OB Simpson, Longsleddale with others selling to £59 from PD & BS Lawrence Ltd, Grange over Sands. Swaledale ewes sold to a top of £55 from R Lawrence with others to £54 from CW Kipling, Tebay. Plenty more horned ewes sold around the £50 mark.