Prime Lambs
A smaller entry of prime lambs in the market but certainly plenty of interest from buyers with fresh buyer’s ringside. An entry of 609 lambs sold to a market average of 207p/kg with consignments of heavyweight and Beltex lambs selling to averages of over £100.
Heavyweight lambs topped the trade at £115 from LA & M Lambert of Brow Head with Suffolk lambs. This was followed by mid to late forty kilo Charollais lambs from J Stott Jnr selling to £110.50 twice. Beltex lambs sold to a top of £110 from Alistair and Bradley Thompson of Poppy Farm with Beltex lambs from George Harryman of The Galleon selling to a top of 256p/kg and 254p/kg with his consignment of lambs averaging well over the £100 mark and all Beltex lambs forward selling to a market average of 248p/kg. Best Texel lambs were often over £100 topping at £106 from F & SA Edmondson of Netherhouses.
A large quantity of lambs forward today were hill bred and met with plenty of demand. Mules selling to a top of £102.50 and £96 from F & SA Edmondson of Netherhouses for heavy weight lambs. Mules topped at 207p/kg from ST & SE Allen of Hillcroft with Mules often selling towards 200p/kg. All Mules in the market sold to an average of £81.24. Horned lambs sold to a top of £82 or 210p/kg for Scottish Blackface lambs from Williamson Brothers of Ulverston and Swaledales sold to £78 or 200p/kg from JF & AW Sutton of Nether Houses.
Herdwick lambs from Low Moor Howe sold to £77 or 201p/kg.
Cast Sheep
There was a smaller entry of cast ewes but certainly a strong trade with all specifications of ewes selling to the dearest trade seen for some time. Large continental ewes sold into the nineties topping at £97 and £95 from SH & PI Bowes of Harbarrow Farm.
Best Mule ewes sold over £70 selling to a top of £78 from J & M Wilson of Cooper House with plenty of stronger Mule ewes in the mid-seventies. Hill bred ewes were eagerly bid for with Herdwicks selling to £56 from TW & C Shepherd of Nook Farm. Swaledale ewes topped at £51 from JF & AW Sutton of Netherhouses with fit horned ewes often selling in the late forties.