Prime Pigs

Prime Pigs continue to be forward in good numbers with a strong trade for all types. Well finished white pigs were once again easiest to sell with guilts from B Walton, Appleby peaking at £148 and 174p/kg. Others from A Preston, Whitehaven sold to £140 (x5) with others generally £115 - £130 (120p/kg – 150p/kg). Several sows were at today’s sale and nicely selling at £98 - £125 (50p – 60p/kg) from
P Baxter, Avonbridge.

Spring Lambs

There was a smaller entry of prime lambs in the market this week with many taking advantage of the good weather and hay timing, as well as the drop-in price at the start of the week. There was a better trade than anticipated with those bringing forward well-finished lambs seeing the benefit and leaner types being penalised.

The sale included the Summer Show of Pens of Five Suffolk Prime Lambs. Thanks go to our vendors for taking part and putting a strong line up of pens forward for our judge Andrew Dawson of Sedbergh. The first prize rosette was awarded to DE & SM Moorhouse of Natland, Kendal selling 47kg lambs to £115 purchased by Michael Lomax of Milnthorpe on behalf of Higginson Butchers of Grange over sands.

There was an overall market average of 215p/kg with lambs weighing between 45kg and 52kg selling to an average of 225p/kg. The top price of the day was Suffolk lambs from C Wilson of Witherslack selling to £117. Charollais lambs sold to a top of £110.50 from TW Gorst of Crook. There was plenty of well-fleshed lambs weighing 44kg plus selling in excess of £100. Good conformation lambs sold in the region of 230p/kg, topping at 244p/kg for Suffolks from DE & SM Moorhouse of Natland, Kendal.

Prime Hoggs

There was a few more hoggs on offer this week and certainly more demand and interest from buyers for the well-fleshed hoggs. The trade peaked at £97 for Texel hoggs from ED Robinson of Whinfell. Mules sold to a top of £89 from FI & ME Little of Barrows Green. Well-finished hoggs sold in the region of 200p/kg selling to a top of 206p/kg for Swaledales from GM & A Jackson of Little Eccleston with Cheviots from the same good home selling to 203p/kg. There was an overall market average of 175p/kg.

Cast Sheep

There was a lot sharper trade this week for ewes with a smaller entry forward and all buyers were eager to purchase all types of ewes, and more could have easily been sold to the advantage of vendors as buyers were leaving short of requirements. This week saw plenty of those stronger Continental ewes selling in excess of £100. Charollais ewes sold to a top of £113 from TW Gorst of Crook. This was closely followed by Suffolk ewes from J & O Galbraith and Son of Endmoor with Texel ewes to £110 and £107 from SW Atkinson and Son of Crook. Mule ewes peaked at £91 from J & O Galbraith and Son of Endmoor with plenty of strong Mule ewes selling mid to late eighties.

Herdwick tups sold to £78 from WR Clarke and Partners of Carnforth with Herdwick ewes to £72 from A & L Birkett of Ambleside. Swaledale ewes sold to a top of £70 from Messrs Hodgson of Ambleside. Plenty of strong Swaledale ewes sold between £50 and £60 with all Swaledale ewes forward selling to an average £44.61. There was very few pens of ewes selling below the mid-thirties today.