Prime Lambs

North West Auctions, J36 Rural Auction Centre hosted its Annual Christmas Prime Stock Show of Prime Lambs on Tuesday 4th December. Thanks goes to our vendors and buyers for their continued support throughout the year with once again a great offer of Prime Lambs for the Christmas show. The judging was in the capable hands of Ben Holland of Bowland Pork and Lamb whom we thank for his time and expertise. Thanks also goes to our show sponsors Mulberry Asset Finance who now have an office located on site at J36 Rural Auction Centre.A strong line up of lambs saw the Championship Trophy - The Jack Ireton Perpetual Silver Challenge Cup for the Champion Pen of Lambs - awarded to a very stylish pair of Beltex gimmer lambs weighing 49kg from the Wannop family of Heaton Hall; they went on to sell for the day’s top price of £220 or 449p/kg to the Standen family of Lancaster for breeding. The second prized pair of Beltex lambs from L Beck of Endmoor weighing 50kg sold for £128 purchased by Michael Lomax on behalf of the judge Ben Holland of Bowland Pork and Lamb. The third prize went to a pair of Beltex lambs from the Ayrton Family of Bambers Farm, Thurnham weighing 45kg and selling to £118 or 262p/kg, purchased by Michael Lomax on behalf of Higginson Butchers of Grange Over Sands. The Reserve Overall Champion was awarded to a pen of five Cheviot lambs from J Allonby and Son of Grayrigg which went on to sell for £88 purchased by Michael Lomax. The first prized pen of Lowland lambs was awarded to GR & A Foy of Conder Green selling to £106 with a pen of Texel lambs purchased by Alam.
There was slightly fewer prime lambs this week with 1100 forward, selling to an overall market average of 176p/kg with an SQQ average of 183p/kg. There was plenty of good quality Beltex and Texel lambs on offer this week selling in excess of the 200p/kg mark. Once again, as seen over previous weeks, handy weighted lambs in the early forty kilos were the easiest to place with heavy weight lambs this week, selling a pound or two sharper as trade sharpens across the board. There were plenty of well finished Continental lambs selling in excess of 180p/kg. More hill lambs on offer this week saw Mule lambs selling pounds dearer and topping at £79 for 47kg Mules from JS & S Atkinson of Scorton with quite a few pens of Mules mid to late seventies, with Mules around the 40kg mark selling into the early seventies. Horned lambs saw Rough Fells sell to a top of £77 from JE Read of Hutton Roof.

Cast Sheep

The weekly sale of cast sheep at J36 saw a bumper entry forward this week of 790 ewes and rams forward selling to a consistent trade as seen over previous weeks at J36. The trade was topped this week by a Leicester ram from PE & M Capstick of Millom closely followed Suffolk ewes selling to £112 from TA Blair of Thornton Cleveleys. Texel ewes sold to a top of £96 from M Archer and Son of Bolton Le sands who sold Hampshire rams to £96 with Suffolk ewes from the same home to £91. Cheviot mule ewes sold to a top of £89 from MJ Waller of Lupton. There was plenty of heavy weight Suffolk and Continental ewes selling into the eighties. Horned rams twice topped at £78 for Jacobs from J Ireland of Bouth and CP Bateman of Docker with Rough Fells. Mule ewes sold to a top price of £61 from W Garnett and Son of Milnthorpe with plenty of strong fit Mule ewes selling to £60. Horned ewes sold to a top of £58 for Rough Fell ewes from JE Read of Hutton Roof with Swaledales selling to a top of £50 from PE & M Capstick of Millom. There were plenty of pens of strong fit Swaledale ewes selling towards the forty-pound mark.