PIGS
Strong competition was experienced for all pigs at NWA J36 with prime pigs selling to a top price of £232 for Pietrain x from C Woodhouse, Nateby. This was closely followed by others at £222 from W Stamper, Chipping and hoggs at £212 from J Stott Jnr, Crosscrake. Other well finished pigs were regularly £170 to £200, to include Saddleback x gilts from H Kent, Cockerham achieving £182.
Lighter weight pigs sold to £160 for Pietrain x hoggs from W Stamper, Chipping with Duroc x gilts at £102 from DC Morley, Chapelton.
Top pence per kilo of 212p/kg was achieved by John Stott Jnr, Crosscrake with others regularly 175p/kg to 205p/kg.
Cull sows sold to £115 and 46p/kg for Saddlebacks from DC Morley, Chapelton.
50 prime pigs are required every sale to satisfy buyer demand, vendors are encouraged to enter pigs to assist with advertising.
PRIME LAMBS
A pleasing entry of 1130 prime lambs were forward, as seen nationally trade was a little less than previous weeks. Once again Junction 36 saw heavy meated lambs sell to a big premium. The sale topped at £160 for a Texel from TE&A Galbraith, Crooklands. Suffolks sold to £155 from G Riley, Bolton le Sands. Closely followed by a full pen of Texels selling to £154 from WT Whittaker & Son, Nether Kellet. Many pens of 50kg plus lambs sold at over £150. There is always a keen interest in butcher type lambs at Junction 36 with Beltexs selling to £151 from WS Burrow, Silverdale. A pair of Dutch Spotted lambs sold to £147 from R&E Ladds, Kendal. Once again creep fed lambs and those full of meat were achieving good returns, with leaner sorts harder to place on the day and buyers showing caution towards under finished lambs.
Another big show of light lambs was forward with these lambs needing to be full of meat. 36kg Beltex lambs sold to £109 from AE Atkinson & Son, Endmoor. A full ring of first cross Texel lambs at 35kg sold to £102.50 from Hornby Hall Farms, Penrith.
CAST SHEEP
Vendors responded to the call for ewes with 399 forward today, with them selling to a fast and competitive trade as buyers are keen to fulfil orders. The sale peaked at £170 for a Beltex ewe from M Allen, Carnforth closely followed by another at £167 from AM Blackwell, Preston Patrick. Heavy first cross ewes sold to £142 for a Suffolk cross from R&J Dodgson, Natland with Texel cross achieving £138 from D Black, Milnthorpe. Others were regularly £128 to £135. Medium continental cross ewes were keenly competed for and generally selling at £90 to £116. Mules sold to £119 for a pen of ten from S&A Bland, Tebay with others at £118 from J Bargh & Son, Morecambe and Cheviot Mules at £116 from P&MR Carruthers, Penrith. Medium Mules nicely sold at £90 to £105. Hill ewes sold to £108 for Cheviot from K Purtill, Wigan, Rough Fells to £94 from S&A Bland, Tebay, Swaledales to £90 from GA Guy, Tebay and Herdwicks £90 from Messrs Edmondson, Ambleside. A large proportion of recently weaned hill ewes, generally sold at £60 to £80 depending on quality and type.