North West Auctions celebrated the tenth-year anniversary of the relocation to the J36 Auction Mart site today, we would like to thank all customers past and present for their support and look forward to the years ahead. Thanks must also go to our show sponsors HC Airey & Son, Low Newton (independent slaughter house and butchers) and Café Ambio J36.

Prime Hoggs

A special show for prime hoggs to celebrate this occasion was kindly judged by Dave Morland of Westmorland Services Ltd, Tebay who had twenty show pens presented before him. The championship rosette was awarded to a pair of Beltex x hoggs showed by Mr A Butler, Hambleton which later sold for £180 each to Mr J Blenkhorn on behalf of Yorkshire Halal Meats Ltd. The reserve championship rosette was won by EW&JR Parkinson, Clitheroe showing a pair of Beltex hoggs which were later purchased by the judge for £142. The show classes for five prime hoggs saw GM&A Jackson, Little Eccleston awarded first prize with a pen of five Texel x hoggs achieving £128. R Lawrence, Grange Over Sands topped the Mule class with the pure hill class won by AEA Harrison, Kentmere for a pen of Rough Fells.
1162 prime hoggs were forward at the weekly sale with heavy weight and well finished hoggs continuing to sell to a premium. Away from the show heavy weight hoggs sold to £150 for Texel x from MW&MR Black, Staveley who sold others at £147. Suffolk x hoggs sold to £145 from G Rylie, Carnforth with Texel x selling to £141 from T&CM Kelsall & Sons, Chipping, with others at £140 from MW&PA Rollason, Meathorp and J&E Nuttall, Old Hutton. Heavy weight Mules sold to £127 from T&CM Kelsall & Sons, Chipping with Cheviots selling to £122 from Stockdale Farms, Sedbergh and Charollais x to £121 from LF Horton & Son, Leigh.
Standard weight well finished hoggs sold to £120 for Texel x from M Bennett, Penrith with others at £116 from J&E Nuttall, Old Hutton and Mules to £99 from GM&A Jackson, Little Eccleston.
A large proportion of lighter weight hoggs saw Continentals sell to £97 from D&J Woof, Sedbergh with Cheviots to £85 from GR Park & Sons, Whinfell, Gritstone to £83 from GJ&G Ibbetson, Wray and Herdwicks to £73 from Messrs Clegg & Bennett, Broughton in Furness. Well-bred and finished Continental hoggs regularly achieved 250-275p/kg with first cross lambs 230-245p/kg and pure hill lambs 205-220p/kg depending on wight and finish.

Cast Sheep

A lesser show of ewes were forward with meat selling to a massive premium and many more could have easily been sold. The star of the show was a pair of Charollais ewes from B&D Willison & Son, Tebay selling to £170. Pure bred ewes were regularly selling at the £150-£160 mark. A run of Texel x Mule ewes from B&D Willison & Son, Tebay peaked at £128. Mule ewes sold to £116 twice from DE&SM Moorhouse, Natland and DC D & JD Taylor, Skelsmergh. The best end Mules were regularly selling at the £110 plus. Medium fit Mule ewe were regularly selling well over the £90 mark. Hill ewes would be a bid or two dearer on the week, Cheviots sold to a top of £112 from CG Taylor, Skelsmergh with Rough Fells selling to £84 from Fishwick Brothers, Longsleddale. Swaledales topped at £83 from B&D Willison & Son, Tebay with the best regularly selling over the £70 mark.