Pigs

There was an entry of 46 prime pigs forward for the first sale in May. The sale sold to a top price of £115 for Pietrain x hogs from J Stott, Kingsland with heavy weights selling to £102 for gilts from W Stamper, Chipping who sold boars to £98.

A top pence per kilo of 115p/kg, was again, paid for Pietrain x hogs from J Stott with a run of light weight boars to 98p/kg from D & E Monk, Bispham. Lighter weights were achieving between 80p/kg to 90p/kg, depending upon breed and quality.

Store pigs sold to £50 for well-bred Pietrain x Gloucester Old Spots with others at £45. Weaners sold to £30 for Large White x gilts. Buyers are being cautious of the poorer quality pigs.

The next sale is Tuesday 26th May and, will again, be for all classes of pigs. Please inform the office of your entries.

Spring Lambs

Spring Lambs numbers starting to come forward in bigger droves now with 355 forward selling to an overall market average of 258p/kg, an SQQ of 264p/kg or £109 a head.

It was the consignment of lambs from AE Atkinson & Son, Endmoor that topped the market this week with Beltex lambs selling to £138 or 345p/kg purchased by Plumgarths Farm Shop. This was closely followed by 46kg Texels selling to £137 from WW & D Boow, Bootle with 43kg Texels selling to £136 or 316p/kg from JG & BJ Escolme, Killington. Texel x lambs from Jayne and George Geldard, Levens weighing 44kg sold to £131 and £130. This was closely followed by 42kg Beltex lambs from Mrs C Bousfield & Sons, Appleby selling to £128. Also achieving £128 was Texel lambs from NJ Strickland & Son, Whinfell, WW & D Boow and J & C Airey, Ulverston. Charollais lambs peaked at £128 from JR Robinson & Son, Nook and JE Wightman, Lupton. Suffolk trade peaked at £127 from P & SA Edmondson, Stainton with others selling to £125 from TW Nelson & Son, Stainton.

More spring lambs are required next week to fulfil buyer demand.

Prime Hoggs

There was a good number of prime hoggs for the time of year with 631 forward, which saw a very mixed bag. Well-fleshed hoggs continue to be in good demand, especially handy weighted hoggs with heavy weights a sharper trade. Top price today was 52kg Texel hoggs selling to £116 from W & J Livesey, Inskip who sold others to £110.50, £110 and £109. Mules from the same home sold to £100. RT & ME Sutton of Stainton sold Texels to £112. Cheviots sold to a top of £107.50 or 233p/kg from GM & A Jackson, Little Eccleston.

Top pence per kilo of the day was Beltex lambs selling to 263p/kg and 258p/kg.

Horned hoggs topped at £91 for Rough Fells from H & D Kelly, Staveley with Swaledales to the same price from JS & S Atkinson, Scorton. All hoggs forward averaged 195p/kg with an SQQ of 203p/kg, well-meated Continental hoggs regularly sold at 200p/kg plus.

Cast Ewes

There was a bumper entry of cast sheep forward of 594 which were met by plenty of demand and strong trade throughout the sale. Leading the way was Texel cast ewes from JS Horner, Clapham selling to £136. This was closely followed by Texel ewes selling to £129 from TR Prickett, Hutton Roof who sold other pens to £126 and £125. Suffolk ewes peaked at £127 from J & C Airey, Ulverston who sold other Suffolks to £122 and Texels to £124. Plenty of strong Suffolk and Continental ewes sold around the £120 mark. Leicester ewes peaked at £113 from C Hutchings, Broughton in Furness. Mule ewes topped at £89 from TR Prickett with others selling to £88 from JAS Bradley, Heysham. Mashams sold to £87 from Gibson & Berry, Endmoor. Best Mule ewes sold into the early eighties. Horned ewes sold to £84 for Rough Fells from G & ID Postlethwaite, Howgill with others selling to £81 from W & J Penny, Kirkby in Furness. Swaledale ewes peaked at £79 from RI Dixon, Low Newton with plenty of well-fleshed horned sheep selling in the early to mid-seventies. Herdwick ewes peaked at £75 from JF Robinson, Broughton in Furness.

Cast rams peaked at £130 for Texels from J Dickinson, Milnthorpe with others to £122 from A & CM Carter, Witherslack with Suffolks peaking at £120 from JC Dunning, Orton.

Cast sheep will, once again, be required for next week as the Ramadan festival ends on the 23rd May.