Pigs
Pigs sell to £170 and 179p/kg at popular NWA J36 sale.
The first pig sale in November saw a competitive trade for all classes and types with many buyers leaving empty handed; with more pigs needed at the next sale on Tuesday 24th November with several buyers asking for weaners and stores.
Prime pigs sold to a top price of £172 and 179p/kg for a pietrain x gilt from AT Threlkeld, Satterthwaite who sold other gilts to £165 (149p/kg) and Pietrain x boars to £132 (150p/kg) all going to a specialist meat outlet north of the border near Glasgow. Prime boars from W Stamper, Chipping sold to £130 (137p/kg) for large white x saddlebacks with large white hoggs from the same home achieving £130 (141p/kg)
Lighter weight pigs saw gilts sell to £106 (129p/kg) for saddlebacks from W Stamper, Chipping and hogs sell to £108 (117p/kg).
Several cull sows forward today, selling to £110 for large whites from G Braithwaite, Appleby with a saddleback from W Stamper, Chipping achieving 67p/kg.
Several breeding pigs were forwarded today with a super pair of Pietrain gilts from D Clark, Milnthorpe achieving £170 and a much-admired pair of Mangalitza gilts from C Urquhart, Carlisle selling at £55.
Prime Lambs
What a difference a week makes. Handy weight lambs continue to be in strong demand and regularly 200p/kg. Heavy weight lambs noticeably less money this week, the demand for these much less with many catering outlets closed. There was an increased entry of 1,840 forward, selling to an overall market average of 192p/kg with a SQQ average of 198p/kg.
The consignment of Beltex lambs from Wannop Farms Ltd, Heaton with Oxcliffe lead the way selling to £110 and £102, this consignment sold to 263p/kg, 245p/kg and 244p/kg. This was closely followed by Beltex lambs selling to £100 or 250p/kg from JG & PH Thompson, Selside. Plenty of better conformation lambs selling in excess of 220p/kg.
Suffolk lambs weighing 59kg sold to £102.50 from WT Whitaker, Nether Kellet with 58kg Texel’s selling to £100.50. Heavy weight lambs regularly sold in the region of 180p/kg. The lambs meeting strongest demand weighed between 38kg-45kg, with buyer’s keen for handy weight export type lambs.
More upland lambs on the market today, as to be expected for this time of year. Mule lambs sold to a top of £91 from RHM & S Boyren, Ulverston. Mule lambs from Wannop Farms Ltd sold to £90 weighing 46kg and 45kg lambs from the same home to £89. Plenty of pens of Mules selling in the mid to late eighties, 43-46kg being the preferred weights for Mules today.
Cast Sheep
An increased entry of 720 ewes forward today, which saw strong meaty ewes continue to sell to a good trade, leaner small type ewes harder to place this week. Texel ewes leading the way once again topping at £119 from NJ Strickland & Son, Whinfell with others to £113 from J Allonby & Son, Grayrigg. Strong Texel ewes selling well over the £100 mark. Suffolk ewes topped at £108 from DM & D Cook, Ulverston who also topped the Mule section at £86, others selling to £84 from K Armer, Kendal. Big Mule ewes selling to £75-£85 with medium types £65-£70. Cheviot Mules are always well bid for, topping at £84 from JS&KM Wilson & Son, Kendal with a pen of 21 from TH&DM Cornthwaite & Son, Cartmel selling to £80.
Another large show of hill ewes forward with saw all types eagerly bid for, Cheviot ewes peaked at £70 from RM&D Dixon, Longsleddale. The best end of Swaledale ewes selling away well with a top of £68 from DE&J Waine, Longsleddale with others to £59 from RM&D Dixon. A run of Shetland ewes from T Miller, Woodlands topped at £47.
A bigger show of Cast Rams forward which were all well bid for, this section topped at £114 from R Harker & Son, Grayrigg who had other BFL’s to £104. A run of Swaledale tups from RS & BA Harker, Holme topped at £70. Many more tups could have been sold to vendors’ advantage.