Prime Hoggs

What a trade that was, with Herdwick hoggs weighing 30kg making £87 or 290p/kg to good quality Beltex hoggs selling to 351p/kg and topping at £143.
The trade, the dearest seen so far to date, especially when a large quantity of the hoggs forward today being hill bred. More are required each week to maintain the requirements of a busy ring of nine active buyers fulfilled. The entry of 755 forward averaged 274p/kg with handy weighted hoggs averaging 281p/kg. The consignment from CB Heald & Son, Ingleton sold heavy weight Texel hoggs to £143 with others from the same home selling to £140 and £138. Beltex hoggs sold to £143 from AR & BJ Thompson, Selside who also had others to £139 and £138. Other noted Texel prices saw them sell to £140 from JS & KM Wilson & Son, Heslington weighing 43kgs. Plenty of handy weighted Continental hoggs sold in the region of 300p/kg topping at 351p/kg for Beltex hoggs from PD & P Mason, Burton in Kendal, with others selling to 337p/kg from John Twigge, Lindale.

There was a large number of hill bred hoggs forward this week. Horned hoggs were topped by Rough Fells from AJ & CM Harrison, Kentmere selling heavy weights to £134 followed by others to £129 from Amy Harrison, Kentmere. Swaledale hoggs peaked at £119 from RS & BA Harker, Holme.  Mule hoggs sold to a top of £125 from AR & BJ Thompson, Selside, with others selling to £121 from JS & KM Wilson & Son, Heslington.

Cast Sheep

A smaller show of cast sheep were forward with 280 going under the hammer and all types continuing to sell to an improved trade at J36. Texel ewes once again led the way selling to £140 for a pen of 4 from R Wilson, Appleby with others to £118 from PK & R Woof, Stainton and all Texel ewes forward averaging £106.

Suffolk ewes were a sharper trade topping at £134 from R Wilson, Appleby with J & R Waller selling their ewes to £123. All Continental ewes at J36 were well bid for.

Mule ewes were once again the trade of the day with buyers keen to purchase them. D & C Middleton, Burrow sold a pen of 9 Mule ewes to £122 with others selling to £114 from T Parkin, Sedbergh with many Mules selling at £105 plus with the next level down selling at £95 – £100.

All hill ewes sold to a strong trade with buyers looking for fleshy ewes. Cheviots sold to £98 from TLB & J Knowles, Selside with Rough Fells selling to £89 from NW & EM Mason & Son, Middleton, with all Roughs forward averaging £65. It was nice to have Swaledale ewes back over the £80 mark with a top of £83 from JJ & J Towers, Lowick and a penful selling to £80 from JF & AW Sutton, Longsleddale. Herdwick ewes sold to £79 from R Cowin & Son, Mansergh.

A good show of 20 tups were forward with strong Texel tups selling to £159 from WM & JE Shuttleworth, Barbon and 2 Texel tups from JR Waller, Killington. Hill bred tups sold to £97 for a Cheviot from P Dixon, Longsleddale.

A run of goats from Mr & Mrs Edmondson, Langdale sold to a strong trade topping twice at £83.