Pigs

The sale of prime pigs sold to a fast trade with buyers competing for all classes and types with multiple orders to fill.

The sale topped at £145 for a Large White gilt from W Stamper, Chipping with other gilts £140 from D Lord, Preesall and £138. Prime boars sold to £130 for Large White x from RJ & R Holden, Millom who sold others at £122. Pietrain x hogs from J Stott, Kendal sold at £120.

Large Whites from RJ & R Holden, Millom topped today’s sale achieving 129p/kg with others nicely selling at 120p/kg – 125p/kg.

All prime pigs today averaged 114p/kg.

Prime Lambs

The weekly sale of Prime Lambs at NWA J36 saw an overall market average of 205.2p/kg achieved for all lambs sold, ranging from 27kg to 57kg. The sale peaked at £116 for Continental x lambs from HR & KA Hodgson, Barbon. Closely followed by RE & A Briggs, Wennington selling Texels at £114.50 and KE Richards & Son, Howgill selling Suffolks at £111.50.

Heavy lambs, 45-50kg, continue to attract strong competition with well-meated lambs of all weights keenly sought after. Lambs are benefiting having a few weeks of hard feed to ensure a full finish is achieved with under finished and under weight lambs a more selective trade.

Top pence per kilo today was 241p/kg achieved by J & E Nuttall, Old Hutton selling Texels with other well-bred and well-finished lambs generally 220-235p/kg.

Hill bred lambs are now coming forward in greater numbers selling to £95 and 210p/kg for Cheviots. Mules sold to £92 and 201p/kg with horned lambs selling to £78 and 186p/kg.

Cast Ewes

There was a reduced entry of cast ewes but were 750 forward with all types still selling to a strong trade. Good meated ewes were the trade of the day with these sheep being short in supply. Charollais ewes topped at £114, with others selling to £112 from J Stott Jnr, Crosscrake. Texel ewes sold to £105 from Josh Capstick, Ingleton with others selling to £104 twice from JW & A Matthews, Patton and S Procter, Selside. Good Continental ewes were still selling in the hundred pound plus mark. Cheviot Mule ewes sold to £113 from R & E Ladds, Kendal.

A big show of Mule ewes forward today, but less meat on offer in this section. The best were £70 plus, with a top of £76 achieved twice from IL Dixon, Cantsfield and WA Hodgson, Whinfell. There was a strong pen of Leicester ewes from R Harker & Son, Grayrigg sold to £90 with others to the same price from K Smith, Kendal.

There was a bigger show of hill ewes with meat, once again, being in demand. Cheviots topped at £82 from TH & DM Cornthwaite & Son, Cartmel Fell with Rough Fells to £63 from N Burton, Cautley and Swaledales at £56 from DC Miller, Brock. The best Swaledale ewes selling to £50 plus, with medium types £30 to £42 and feeding type £20 plus.

There were more tups on offer today with a top of £90 achieved for Leicesters from R Harker & Son.