The great annual show and sale of 6000 Swaledale, Rough Fell and other hill bred draft ewes at J36 Rural Auction Centre, Kendal was held on Friday 28th September.
The pre-sale show for the Swaledale had one of the best line up of sheep seen for some time out for show. A special thanks must go to our judges Mr Andrew Nicholson, Cockermouth and Mr Tom Willoughby, Leyburn as well our sponsors, Lake District National Park Association. The first prize rosette in the ewe class was awarded to E & A Wear, Hartsop who also took the Champion rosette. The reserve champion Rosette was awarded to the first prize pen of shearlings from MP & A Capstick, Newbiggin on Lune.
The trade was to be expected with the price of Mule Gimmer Lambs this season. Good quality ewes were still very good to sell and in strong demand with a ringside of buyers present from throughout the northern counties. The trade was topped by the champion pen from E & A Wear selling to £200, who also sold two further pens of ewes to £155. Shearlings sold to a top of £130 from regular consignor JA Alderson, Barras with the first pirze pen of shearlings selling to £125 from MP & A Capstick. There was plenty of sheep selling in excess of the £100 mark for best quality pens. Powerful, stretchy sheep were in plenty of demand. The bottom end of the sheep held up throughout the sale with overall averages for ewes £73.18, Shearlings £74.87.
A handful of gimmer lambs on offer today were met with plenty of interest selling to £68 for the first prize pen from J Hunter, Tebay.
The annual show and sale of Rough Fell Draft Ewes, Shearlings and Gimmer Lambs attracted a keen ringside of bidder of Scotland, Wales, the Midlands as well as strong interest from throughout the northern counties. Today’s show as kindly sponsored by PV Dobson & Sons and was ably judged by Mr R Steadman. The championship rosette along with the association and North Sheep Trophy was awarded to a pen of three crop ewes from SL Hoggarth, Howgill which later sold for £105. The reserve champion was a pen of shearlings from the same good home which sold to the top price of £130. A strong trade was seen for all Rough Fell breeding sheep with well bodied ewes regularly selling between £75 and £95 and averaging £74. Shearlings sold between £70 and £80 and averaged £73. Gimmer Lambs sold to £55 from A O’Neil, Firbank with others generally selling £45 to £50, averaging £43.
Several consignments of Cheviots attracted keen interest selling to £109 for Shearlings from KM & KJ Curwen, Abbeystead who also sold ewes £80. Herdwick Shearlings achieved a top price of £48 from Miss AEA Harrison, Kentmere.