Store Lambs

Records were smashed at J36 with the largest entry of store lambs seen in July with 3,123 forward. A proper store lamb sale with many consignments of upland lambs forward meeting plenty of demand from local and travelled buyers, resulting in an overall market average of £67.85.

Texel gimmer lambs lead the way from RA Batty, Selside selling to £110. Cheviot lambs sold to £91 from Messrs Ellwood, Kirkby in Furness. Other leading prices for Texel and Beltex lambs were £90 from J & E Lancaster, Ulverston followed by £89 from JC & E Pedley & Sons, Sedbergh. Selling well into the mid-eighties were Texel lambs also from RA Batty to £88 & £87 followed by £85 from JC Dunning, Orton and £84.50 from L Potter, Orton.

Suffolk lambs sold to a top of £84 from RI Dixon, Low Newton closely followed by £83 from JR Robinson & Son, Nook. Plenty of pens of short keep Suffolk and Continental lambs selling in the mid to late Seventies. Medium keep lambs were regularly selling towards the £70 mark, with smaller continental lambs looking very well sold around the £60 mark.

There was a larger quantity of hill bred lambs forward which met strong demand, Mule lambs peaking at £75 from RI Dixon, Low Newton with plenty of pens of Mules selling in the mid to late sixties with all mules forward averaging £65.78. A large entry of horned lambs forward this week, considering how early it is in the season and meeting plenty of demand, Rough Fells selling to £63 from L Potter, Orton, and others to £58.50 from G & ID Postlethwaite, Howgill.

Breeding Sheep

The opening sale of the season of early breeding ewes and shearling at J36 had 500 forward selling to plenty of demand and a strong trade. This was to be expected following a strong lamb trade throughout the summer and the cull sheep trade remaining strong. It was a consignment of Pedigree Blue Texel Gimmer shearlings that stole the show today, selling to £900 and £700 from C Cochram, Darwen. Miss S Waller from Killington showed her annual consignment of Dorset breeding sheep with gimmer shearlings to £190 twice and breeding ewes selling to £160. Texel x Shearlings today sold to £180 from DV Carrick, Kirkby Stephen, also selling to £180 was Cheviot Mule Gimmer Shearlings from J Stott, Crosscrake, with other pens from the same home selling to £160. Mule Gimmer Shearlings peaked at £140 from M & YS Barker, Halton and Mule 1 crop sold to £135 from EI, EA & TW Wilson, Grange-over-Sands, with plenty more 1 crop ewes selling around the £130 mark.