Prime and Cast Pigs

The fortnightly sale of prime and cast pigs at J36 saw an entry of 15 forward. There was a buoyant trade throughout the sale with all pigs being well bid for. Prime pigs topped at £150 for 100kg white gilts from MS Blease of Dock Acres. Prime boars sold to a top of £138 from W Stamper of Chipping. Cast pigs topped at £160 for a sow from PK & R Woof of Stainton.

Spring Lambs

There was a larger entry of spring lambs forward this week with just short of 1,200 forward. The trade averaged at 177p/kg with well-fleshed lambs in excess of 40kg still the best to sell. Topping today at £96.50, twice, was heavy weight Suffolk lambs from DE & SM Moorhouse of Natland and heavy weight Cheviots from D Metcalfe of Dalton in Furness. Texel lambs sold to a top of £96 from Drinkall Bros of Over Wyresdale. Plenty of fifty kilograms plus lambs still selling in excess of £90.

Abigail Winn sold Texel lambs to 200p/kg or £88. Mule lambs sold to a top of £81.50 from S Crawford of Staveley and £80 from Drinkall Bros of Over Wyresdale. The trade for lightweight lambs was very dependent upon the quality of the lambs, with smart conformation well-finished lambs good to sell and plainer leaner types not making much more then store price.

Cast Sheep

There was a larger entry of ewes in the market today selling to a slightly sharper trade. The trade topped at £100, twice, for Continental ewes from MA & JA Winn of Burneside and MS Blease of Dock Acres, with plenty of ewes selling in the nineties. Big fit Mule ewes regularly sold in the mid to late seventies selling to a top of £87 from LE & A Ridding of Selside. Horned ewes saw Rough Fells sell to a top of £57 from JT & A Armistead of Selside and Swaledales to £54 from R Lawrence of Grange over sands.