Pigs

The fortnightly sale of prime pigs saw another quality entry forwards with trade once again lifting with competition between new and existing buyers ensuring all sold to full value.

Prime pigs sold to £152 for a Saddleback x gilt from FJ Gibson, Kirkby Lonsdale with a Pietrain x Saddleback gilt from PK & R Woof, Stainton selling at £144. There were plenty of well finished pigs between £100 - £120 depending on weight and breed with buyers continuing to show caution towards boars with gilts and hogs attracting a premium.

Top p/kg was 125p/kg achieved by PK & R Woof with others nicely selling at 100p/kg – 115p/kg.
Several cull sows forwards today selling to £122 for a Gloucester Old Spot from R Deane, Kirkby Stephen who sold others at £92. Mature boars were very hard to place.

Another fast trade was seen for weaners, with Saddleback x Pietrains selling at £53, £51 and £50 from BR Harrison, Windermere with others £41 from F Gibson.

Tex-Factor

The Tex-Factor show for pens of five Texel sired Prime Lambs was kindly supported by the North West Texel Breeders Club in preparation for the sale on Sunday 9th August 2020

1st WS Burrow, Gibraltar Farm 40kg 262p/kg £105
2nd Edward Dodgson, Spital Farm 48kg 241p/kg £116
3rd Wannop Farms, Heaton Hall 42kg 259p/kg £109

North West Auctions were proud to host the annual “Tex-Factor” Show of pens of five Texel sired lambs. A good entry of show lambs forward saw the first prize rosette awarded to WS Burrow & Sons, Gibraltar. Thank you go to North West Texel Breeders Club for the continued support.

Spring Lambs

The weekly sale of Prime Lambs at J36 saw strong demand throughout the sale today with buyers eagerly looking to purchase all specifications of lambs, in preparation for the festival at end of the week. There was an entry of 1793 forward in which more could have easily been sold to the advantage of the vendor. This week there was an overall market average of 232p/kg and SQQ of 234p/kg.

Topping the market this week was 48kg Texel lambs selling to £130 or 270p/kg from GA Rawsthorne, Cartmel who sold others to £127, £125 and £121. Texel lambs from WH Kitching & Son, Helsington weighing 53kg sold to £129. Other notable prices for Texel lambs was £127 and £123 from DM & D Cook, Ulverston, £124 from D & D Huddleston, Wray and £121 from D Black, Beetham. Continental lambs sold to £126 from GM Redmayne, Ings. Suffolk lambs sold to a top of £123 from WT Whitaker & Son, Nether Kellet with other Suffolk lambs selling to £121 from JA & LR Wilson, Millom. Well-fleshed 44kg+ lambs regularly sold in excess of the £100 mark. Beltex lambs this week sold to a top of £118 or 262p/kg from R Lawrence, Grange over Sands, with plenty of pens of good conformation Beltex lambs selling around the 255p/kg.

There was a larger entry of upland lambs this week that saw Mule lambs sell to a top of £101 from PM & AM Ward & Sons, Aughton with other Mules to £99 from WH Kitching & Sons. £94.50 was achieved twice for Mules from R Capstick & Son, Ingleton and Drinkall Bros, Over Wyresdale.

Prime Hoggs

There was plenty of demand for prime hoggs with buyers looking for them this week in preparation for the festival at end of this week. Horned hoggs topped the market selling to £93 from PM & AM Ward & Sons, Aughton. Plenty more hoggs selling into the eighties for well-meated hoggs.

Cast Ewes

There was a bumper entry of 1086 ewes forward today with all ewes continuing to sell to a strong trade with the best ewes showing a premium today, selling to a top of £149 for a Texel from R & E Ladds, Kendal with other pure Texel ewes to £133 from I & G Sedgwick, Burton in Kendal. Strong pure-bred Continental ewes regularly sold at £110 plus. A pen of Suffolk ewes from P & SA Edmondson, Stainton sold to £107. Strong Masham ewes from BJ Bainbridge, Shap sold to £100 with Mules topping at £95 from R & E Ladds with a pen of 24 Mule ewes from KE Richards & Son, Howgill selling to £91. Fit medium type ewes were selling well into the mid-seventies. Cheviot-Mule ewes sold to £82 from RH M & S Boyren, Colton.

There was a bigger show of hill bred ewes on offer today with Cheviots leading the way selling to £99 from GA Lambert, Gatebeck with others to £79 from RW Ewan, New Hutton. Swaledale ewes peaked at £72 from the Inman Family, Strickland Hill Farming with other strong ewes selling to £67 from T & CM Kelsall & Sons, Chipping. Other strong Swaledale ewes regularly selling at £60 plus, with the medium types £48 to £55.

New buyers were forward looking for all types of feeding ewes at J36.

Cast tups were in strong demand for the festival with Texel tups selling to £131 from A & B Fell, Silectoft with Charollais to £125 from RW Ewan, New Hutton.