Prime Lambs
There was a slightly smaller entry of lambs forward in Lancaster of 559 which saw a slight improvement in trade with an overall market average 188p/kg and an SQQ average of 190p/kg. Light weight and handy weight lambs continue to be the best to sell with buyers cautious of heavy lambs.

Leading the way today was a Beltex lamb from Ian Richardson, Catforth that was sold for Charity for The Ridge Community Centre, Lancaster. This 41kg Beltex lamb went on to sell for £112 purchased by Nigel Wilkinson Butchers, Lancaster.

Beltex and butcher quality lambs are currently meeting plenty of demand in Lancaster with the consignment from R & DL Cornthwaite, Nateby selling to £100 or 233p/kg twice. Firstly purchased by Gregory Williams, Lancaster and then Kennedy Butchers, Morecambe. Other Beltex lambs from the same home sold to £98. This was followed by Beltex lambs to £97 from J & J Smith, Brookhouse. Texel lambs weighing 47kg sold to £97.50 from J Bargh and Son, Heaton with Oxcliffe with other Texel lambs to £96 from JT & A Armistead, Selside. Plenty more pens of better bred lambs selling into the nineties.  Mule lambs sold to a top of £81.50 weighing 43kg from B & SE Carter, Ellel.

Cast Sheep
Lancaster had another good offering of 166 cast sheep forward. Better Continental ewes sold in excess of the £100 mark. Topping the market was JE Parkinson and Son, Quernmore selling to £109 and £105 with other Texel ewes to £106 from RS & IM Kellet, Quernmore. Plenty more pens of Continental ewes sold into the nineties. Not as many Mule ewes in the market today saw them top at £69 from KA Purtill, Wigan.

A larger number of upland ewes in the market saw best Cheviot ewes sell to £84. Horned ewes saw Dalesbreds sell to £65 from S Bosworth, Burnley with plenty of stronger horned ewes selling into the fifties.

Store Lambs
Lancaster’s fortnightly sale of Store Lambs had an improved entry of 185 lambs forward. They sold to a two tiered trade. Good quality short keep lambs were in very strong demand and eagerly bid for with longer term lambs selling to a selective trade. Topping the market at £77.50 was Texel lambs from PD Anderton, Scorton. This was closely followed by Beltex lambs to £77 from J Gardner, Bay Horse, with plenty more pens of short keep Texel lambs selling in the seventies.
Upland lambs saw Mules sell to £65 from A & L Huddleston, Wray with Swaledale lambs selling to £40 from DM Eames, Abbeystead.