Prime Hoggs

There was an increased entry of Prime Hoggs forward at Lancaster this week with 573 on the market. Well-finished hoggs in strong demand and sold to a premium with grassy lean types harder to place. Topping the market today at £100 was AG Butler, Hambleton for Texels who sold others to £97.50 and £97. J Fryars, Greenhalgh sold to Texels to £99. Suffolks sold to a top of £96 from RS & IM Kellet, Cockerham who had Texels at £95. T Smith, Pilling sold Texels to £94 and £91. Charollais topped at £95 from AG Butler. Cheviots sold to a top of £92 and £91 from Barker Farms, Cockerham. Top pence per kilo was 227p/kg from AG Butler, with others hoggs selling to 219p/kg for Texels from T Smith, with Cheviots also achieving 219p/kg from Barker Farms. Many of those best types of hoggs sold around the 210p/kg. Well-finished Continental and Texel hoggs sold around the 200p/kg. Mules sold to a top of £81, twice from J Fryars and from A & J Rhodes, Ellel. Horned hoggs topped at £80 from Cardwell Farms, Stalmine.

Cast Sheep

Cast ewes continue to be a very strong trade with a larger number forward this week in which more could have been sold. The days trade topped at £95 from MJ & LC Lund, Quernmore for Continentals with Cheviot Mules to £93 from Myerscough College with other Continental ewes also achieving £93 from AJ Metcalfe, Out Rawcliffe. Charollais sold to a top of £92 from JA Lambert, Out Rawcliffe. All Continental ewes sold to a market average of £91.67. Suffolk ewes topped at £91 from TB Carter, Preesall with Texels from the same home achieving £91. Mule ewes twice topped at £83 firstly from D & K Swarbrick, Out Rawcliffe and from TB Carter. Plenty of Mules sold around the £80 mark, selling to an average of £75.21. Horned sheep sold to a top of £52 for Swaledales from JS & S Atkinson, Scorton.

Sheep with Lambs at Foot

There was an entry of 60 ewes with lambs at foot or 170 lives that, once again, sold to a strong trade at Lancaster. Continental ewes with twin lambs sold to a top of £220 from J & A Heap & Sons, Barnacre who also sold Mule ewes with strong Texel twin lambs to £192 and £185. Broken mouthed Mule ewes with strong Texel twin lambs sold to £178 and £172 from D & K Swarbrick, Out Rawcliffe. Younger Mule ewes with twin lambs sold to £175 from W Pinder Jnr, Newton-in-Bowland.