SHEEP WITH LAMBS AT FOOT
There was an entry of 188 families of sheep with lambs at foot meeting plenty of demand and eagerly bid for, especially a growing demand for hill bred sheep. Taking top spot this week were young continental ewes with twin lambs selling to £260 from S Bosworth, Burnley. This was followed by continental shearlings sucking twin Dutch spotted lambs achieving £250 from the same home, Dutch spotted cross hoggs with single Dutch spotted lambs sold to £200. This week the hogg trade peaked at £205 from JA Chapman, Kendal. Aged mule ewes sold to £190 with twin lambs from Low House Farm, Longsleddale. A larger number of hill sheep forward saw three crop Cheviot ewes with twin Continental lambs sell to £175 from GJ & CA Penellum, Millom, with three crop Cheviot ewes with single Texel ewes selling to £150. Broken mouthed Herdwick ewes with young Continental twin lambs at foot sold to £135 from MR Toms, Great Langdale with singles from the same home selling to £90.

A busy week next Tuesday 25th May with the second show and sale of hoggs with lambs at foot, with over 250 families entered so far, plus sheep with lambs at foot to include the dispersal of 120 Rough Fell Ewes with lambs from Low House Farm, Longsleddale.

SPRING LAMBS
The weekly sale of spring lambs had an entry of 287 forward, selling to an overall market average of 321 p/kg and SQQ of 325 p/kg. Continental lambs sold to a top of £160 from DJ Clarke, Broughton-in-Furness, purchased by Higginson’s Butchers, Grange-Over-Sands. This was followed by the consignment from Helen Newton, Low Levens selling to £154 for Continentals, with Suffolks from the same home selling to £153. Charollais lambs sold to £149 from DJ Clarke, Broughton-in-Furness, closely followed by £147 from RJ Stott, Stainton. Other noted prices for Suffolks were £147 twice from TW Nelson & Son, Stainton followed by £146.50 and £146 from J & R Waller, Killington. Texel lambs sold to £145 from B & JM Crowe, Witherslack. Plenty of pens of lambs from the mid 40kg upwards sold in excess of the £140 mark.

PRIME HOGGS
The hogg trade was noticeably less this week, following on from a flying trade from last week’s Ramadan Festival. Well fleshed handy weighted hoggs still sold in excess of the 300 p/kg mark. Trade this week topped at £129 from GM & A Jackson, Little Eccleston, with a pen of 44kg Cheviots. The run of hoggs from JG Harryman, Hawkshead sold to £128, £127.50 and £126. Hill bred hoggs saw well finished Herdwicks sell to £126 from GM & A Jackson, with Scottish Blackfaces from the same home acheiving £123.

CAST SHEEP
A reduced entry of cull ewes forward with all selling to their full value today, with many more needed to fulfil the needs of our buyers. Texel ewes once again led the way selling to £128 from JW & A Matthews, Patton who sold others to £125. Leicester ewes saw a top of £116 from NJ Strickland & Son, Whinfell with S Proctor, Selside selling a run of Dorset ewes to a top of £112. A strong run of Ryeland ewes from T & E Redmayne, Southwaite sold to a top of £102 with others from the same home selling to £100. A keen interest was shown for all Mule ewes forward with a top of £116 from JW & TE Sharp, Lyth. Medium fit Mule ewes were regularly selling between the £100-£105 mark. MJ Waller, Lupton sold strong Cheviot Mule ewes to £116. A smaller show of hill ewes forward with the best selling to a fast trade, a top of £103 for Swaledale ewes from DR & JE Wood, Bolton with medium type Swaledale ewes selling between the mid to late £70 mark. A small show of cast rams forward with all selling to their full value again. Texel rams sold to £190 from B & JM Crowe, Witherslack and Ryelands sold to £120 from T&E Redmayne, Southwaite.