Prime Lambs sell to 211p/kg and £94 at NWA J36

Prime Lambs

The weekly sale of Prime Lambs saw an entry of 1230 selling to an improving trade with a full complement of buyers in attendance keen to compete for all classes and types. The sale peaked at £94 for heavyweight Texel x lambs from Drinkall Bros, Lancaster with Beltex lambs selling to £93 from Wannop Farms Ltd, Morecambe. Plenty of well-bred, well-finished heavyweight lambs weighing in the 46-52kg category achieving £85 to £90. Standard weight lambs sold to £85 for Beltex x from P & TL Edmondson Ltd, Kirkby in Furness with others selling between £78 and £84. Lightweight sold to £68 for Texel x from R Capstick & Son, Ingleton with others generally £58 to £65. Hill bred lambs sold to £69 for Rough Fells from A & H Watson, Middleton who also sold Swaledales to £68. Mules sold to £75 from M Robinson, Low Gill with Masham to £70 from BJ Bainbridge, Shap.

The top price of 211p/kg was achieved for a pen of Beltex x lambs from SP Pease, Underley with these lambs sired by a Paul Slater bred tup, previously purchased from NWA J36. Other ¾ and pure-bred continental lambs nicely sold at 190p/kg to 205p/kg with first cross lambs nicely selling at 172-18p/kg depending on breed and weight.

All classes of lambs experience a competitive trade with buyers keenest to secure well-finished lambs. Vendors are considered giving a bit of feed to the lambs to achieve the final finish, allowing for maximum return.

There was an SQQ market average of 167p/kg.

Cast Sheep

Cull ewes sold to a top price of £90 for Texels from TR Prickett, Carnforth with other heavyweight ewes selling between £75 and £88. Mules sold to £67 from JG & BJ Escolme, Sedbergh with other heavy Mules £60 to £65. Medium ewes sold between £52 and £65 depending on breed and quality. Hill ewes sold to a top price of £57 for Swaledales from Drinkal Bros, Lancaster with Cheviots selling to £66 from CC Chin, Ulpha and Rough Fells sold to £54 from JM Sedgwick, Sedbergh. Leaner ewes would perhaps be a slightly more selective trade today with an abundance of these on the market nationally.

Cull rams sold to £148 for a Bluefaced Leicester ram from PE & M Capstick, Whicham who sold others to £108. Well-meated heavy rams generally £85 to £100 with horned rams selling to £54 from RS & BA Harker, Carnforth.

The sale today also contained an entry of goats from TE & J Wadsworth & Son, Sedgwick which saw a top price of £82 achieved. Customers are requiring more goats over the next few weeks, please contact Ian Atkinson on 07766 521472.