PRIME LAMBS

Bank holiday boom at NWA Lancaster, with prime lambs to £213 and 435p/kg.
NWA Lancaster held its popular Monday morning sale of prime lambs, which saw well bred and well finished lambs selling to the keenest demand, with these regularly selling at 305p/kg to 320p/kg. The best pure bred lambs sold to 435p/kg for Beltex from GR&A Foy, Conder Green, with endless pens of well finished pure bred Texels selling at 355p/kg to 380p/kg. Well finished first cross lambs were generally 310p/kg to 330p/kg, with a large proportion of todays sale being lambs direct off grass, selling at 285p/kg to 305p/kg, depending on quality and finished. Under finished lambs a more cautious trade, and perhaps looking better suited to the Monday morning store market.
Todays sale peaked at £213, again for Beltex from GR&A Foy, Conder Green, with other pure and ¾ bred lambs regularly £155 to £180. First cross heavy weight lambs were £140 to £160, standard weights £128 to £138, and lighter weights £108 to £115, depending on quality and finish.
Hill bred lambs are coming forward in greater numbers, with Mules to 263p/kg and £129 from Calderside Farms. Cheviots sold to 300p/kg and £135, Cheviot Mules to 270p/kg and £124 and Horned lambs to £110.
Eight buyers were ringside today, all keen to secure lambs for Monday morning orders, with more required every week to satisfy demand. An overall average of 295p/kg was achieved for lambs ranging from 34kg to 54kg.

CAST STEEP

118 cast sheep were forward today, and continued to sell to a keen buyer demand, with several grazing orders now coming forward. Todays sale topped at £220 for a Beltex cross ewe from DH Patel, Lancaster with other Beltex ewes to £190 and £182 from GR&A Foy, Conder Green. Other stronger medium Continental ewes were £150 to £170, with Suffolks to £146. First cross ewes sold to £139 for Texel cross, with other mediums generally £118 to £135 and grazing types £96 to £110. Mules sold to £127, with other stronger end £120 to £125, a large number of grazing type Mules were £65 to £80. Pure hill ewes sold to £100 for Cheviot and Herdwicks sold to £70. Learn and medium Swaledale sold to £59, other smaller leaner Swaledales were £40 to £50.