Prime Hoggs

The trade continues to go from strength to strength with all specification of hoggs required and more are needed each week to maintain the busy ring of buyers at Lancaster. 458 were forward averaging 254p/kg including over a third of the hoggs forward being hill bred. The 270p/kg mark was regularly exceeded for nicer bred Continental lambs.

The consignment of Beltex hoggs from Jonny and Josie Smith, Brookhouse sold to 300p/kg, 298p/kg and 295p/kg or £129 with the consignment averaging £121.80. Also achieving the 300p/kg mark was Andrew Butler, Hambleton with Beltex lambs with others selling to 298p/kg. This consignment sold to £129 and £128 and averaged £117. All Beltex lambs forward averaged £121.85 or 284p/kg.

Top price a head this week was for Beltex lambs from R & DL Cornthwaite, Nateby selling 45kg hoggs to £133 purchased by Gregory Williams Butchers, Lancaster. Others from the same home sold to £130 and £129 with the consignment averaging £124.73, with many more pens easily selling over the £120mark. All Texel hoggs forward averaged £112.53.

Upland lambs sold to a top of £115.50 for 45kg Mules from JW Cornall & Sons, Bleasdale with 46kg Mules to £114.50 from A & J Rhodes, Ellel. All Mule hoggs forward averaged £109.19 or 249p/kg. Horned hoggs sold to a top of £102 for 40kg Swaledales from Dan Purtill, Westhoughton with 41kg Dalesbreds to the same price from FK & F Woodhouse, Scorton.

Cast Sheep

A larger number of cast sheep were forward in the market today and were met by plenty of demand and a strong trade. Taking the lead this week was a pen of Beltex ewes from Jonny and Josie Smith, Brookhouse selling to £149 with Charolais ewes from the same home selling to £141. Texel x Mule ewes sold to a top of £129 from Bargh Contractors, Heaton with Oxcliffe with others to £127 from TR Prickett, Hutton Roof. Suffolk ewes peaked at £126 from G & D Ball and Son, Little Eccleston. Plenty of strong Continental ewes easily selling around the £120 mark. Mule ewes peaked at £103 from G & D Ball and Son, Little Eccleston with strong ewes regularly selling around the one hundred mark.

Horned sheep topped at £89 for Dalesbred ewes from DC Miller, Claughton on Brock with Swaledale tups topping at £88 from AC & K Pye, Abbeystead. Swaleldale ewes sold to a top of £82 from J Bargh and Son, Heaton with Oxcliffe. Plenty of pens of strong horn ewes selling in the seventies.