PRIME LAMBS

With the torrential weather over the weekend, a few less lambs were forward. Meat and well finished lambs sold nicely, with leaner lambs at a discounted rate. There was no real show stopper on offer this morning, a pen of first cross Texel Mules from PJ&SM Woodhouse, Forton topped at £125, also achieving the same price was a pair of Beltex lambs from B&SE Carter, Ellel. A pen of Blue Texels sold to £124 from J Bargh & Son, Heaton with Oxcliffe with first cross Texel lambs from G Hill, Pilling selling to the same price. Many of the heavier bred Continental lambs regularly sold at £120 plus. Medium and lighter lambs needed to be full of meat to achieve maximum prices. 40kg Texel lambs sold to £117 from KA Purtill, Wigan with others at the same weight selling to £116 for smart Blue Texels from J Bargh & Son, Heaton with Oxcliffe. Commercial bred 40kg to 42kg lambs were regularly selling at £102 to £108.

CAST SHEEP

100 ewes forward today with a better trade than anticipated, as many markets reporting a slightly easier trade at the end of last week. No pure bred ewes forward today, with first cross Texel ewes selling to £130 from M&S Purtill, Wigan. Other Texel ewes sold to £126 from B&SE Carter, Ellel. Many Continental ewes sold at the £115 to £120 mark. Mule ewes sold to a top of £122 from D&J Hay, Cockerham with heavy Mules selling at £110 to £115 and the next leave down either side of £100. Hill ewes sold at £110 for Cheviots from KA Purtill, Wigan with other Cheviots to £108 from R Doran, Preston. More ewes are needed on a weekly basis to fulfil Monday morning orders.