Pigs

North West Auctions had a bumper entry of 61 prime pigs forward with well-finished pigs selling to the keenest demand. Pietrain x gilts sold to £125 or 119p/kg from NJ Wilkinson, Barrow in Furness with other premium white pigs selling to £120 from JR Corlett, Cockermouth, £118 from C Gawthrop, Millom, £115 from G Watret, Lockerbie and £110 from W Stamper, Preston. Well-finished pigs were generally selling between 100p/kg and 120p/kg with leaner sorts between 80p/kg and 96p/kg.

Well-bred Duroc x weaners sold to £75 from AJ & EJ Platt, Barrow in Furness who sold others at £50. Tamworth x weaners sold to £49 from Ripley St Thomas, Lancaster with others to £32 from DB & RM Willison, Ingleton. Medium weaners generally £20 to £30 with several pens of smaller sorts less.

A large number of cull sows were forward but to a limited interest, selling to £80.

Prime Lambs

The weekly sale of Prime Lambs had a larger entry of 1328 forward. There was an overall market average of 164p/kg, with an SQQ average of 171p/kg. Handy weight lambs weighing between 38kg and 42kg were in the strongest demand, especially for Continental and Suffolks. A large amount of heavy weigh lambs, 45kg plus, on the market nationwide means these were hard to place this week, but in line with other local markets.

Lambs sold to a top of £90 or 200p/kg from AR & BJ Thompson, Selside for Texels, this was closely followed by £88 or 209p/kg from JE Harrison, Forton. Beltex lambs sold to a top of £86 or 205p/kg from JG Harryman, Hawkshead. Suffolk lambs sold a top of £78 from F & SA Edmondson, Ulverston. There was a few more hill lambs on the market this week which saw 40kg Cheviots sell to £71.50 from HR & KA Hodgson, Barbon, with Mules selling to £70.50 from ST & SE Allen, Tebay and R Lawrence, Grange Over Sands. Horned lambs sold to a top of £66.50 for 39kg Dalesbreds from R Capstick & Son, Ingleton.

Cast Sheep

There was a smaller entry of 400 cast ewes this week with the trade remaining very similar. Topping the trade today was Texel ewes selling to £97 from J & M Wilson, Selside. Leicester ewes sold to £95 from RS & BA Harker, Holme with Texel rams selling to £92 from B & R Barnes, Carnforth. Plenty of strong Continental and Suffolk ewes sold in excess of the £80 mark. Mule ewes sold to a top of £61 from CA & J Alty & Son, Wharton with strong Mule ewes selling towards the £60 mark.

Cast horned tups sold to £55 twice with Swaledales from M Gibson, Sedbergh and Rough Fells from H Chapman & Son, Middleton. Horned cast ewes topped at £52 for Rough Fells from M Bland & Son, Staveley. Herdwick ewes sold to £37 from Messrs Hodgson, Windermere and Swalesdale ewes to £37 from R Lawrence, Grange Over Sands.