Spring lambs are now coming forward in much larger numbers at CCM Skipton Auction Mart, with Monday’s entry of 151 head still catching a sharp trade at 454.7p/kg (SQQ 454.9p/kg), or just shy of £200 per head at £199.53.

Heavies sold well, the best end at £220-plus up to a high of £255 for a single Charollais from Deborah Whitcher, Galtres flock, Skewsby, York. Suffolks sold to £242 from Mark Evans, Steeton, the per kilo high among the heavies of £5.10 (£235) falling to Texel from Chris Craven, Kexby, York.

Good fleshed handyweights also attracted spirited bidding, Lincolnshire’s Thomas Ogg leading the way with a section high for new season lambs of £5.59 per kilo (£218) with 39kg Texel. Robert, Jackie and Josie Towers, Ingleton, and Ken Marston, Askwith, both did well with 42 kg lambs, the former hitting 509p/kg, £214, the latter 500p/kg, £210. Generally, smarter handyweights were 450-500p/kg.

A tighter turnout of 1,488 prime hoggs levelled at £173.21, 382.4p/kg (SQQ 374.7p/kg), deemed a very good average considering the quality on offer, with some large consignments of hill-bred hoggs outweighing the smarter sheep. Prices of £5 per kilo-plus were still available for the best pens.

Across the weight ranges, overweights averaged £220, 381p/kg, four pens making £250, a brace from the Faceby Hutchinsons and one apiece from Francis and James Caton, Weston, Otley, and George and John Stapleton, Skipton. Heavies averaged £190, 394p/kg, the best end making £200 to £255 top for 52kg hoggs from Henry Atkinson, Harrogate.

Among the medium/standard hoggs, while the weight range average of 35-46kg included a higher proportion of hill-bred types than seen of late the overall average of £160, 381p/kg, was deemed most agreeable, the best hoggs making £190-£230, or 440-550p/kg, topping at £238, 566p/kg, again from Henry Atkinson, then £232, 539p/kg, from Tim Robinson, Longridge. Some mixed quality lightweights sold to £155 for 35kg hoggs from Hayley Baines, Horton-in-Craven.

Of the 430 cast sheep, smart ewes were again in high demand, with trade on fire, peaking at £289.50 for a single Texel again from the Stapletons. Blue Faced Leicester ewes sold to £237.50 from Ellis Bros, Addingham Moorside, Suffolk crossed ewes to £197.50 from M&J Smith, York, while North of England Mules peaked at £173.50 for a pen of six from N&J Thwaite, Hellifield. Lonk ewes traded to £121.50 from the Scrivin family, Elslack, Swaledale to £135.50 for a single ewe from the Masons, Oddacres, Embsay, with White Faced Woodland ewes making £146.50 from DS&NJ Green, Keighley. Cull ewes averaged £124.06, cast rams levelling at £151.67.

Breeding sheep numbers also saw a rise on the week, 562 head featuring outfits of ewes and lambs with quality in abundance, coupled with good trade and both leading prices and averages up for most sectors. Top call came from the Wharfedale Catons with a run of Texel ewes with twins making £355 twice, plus a pen of shearlings with twins at £340.

Both Cheviots and Mules were in strong demand, Cheviots with Texel lambs from SG Entwistle, Darwen, topping at £345 twice, the same vendor also leading the way with Cheviot singles at £250 and £230. Mule outfits sold to £340 from Jenny Booth, Lothersdale, who also headed the Mule singles trade at £250. The Mule average was very strong, sitting at roughly £95 per life.

Richard Umpleby, Killinghall, had a classy run of Suffolk ewes, topping the twins at £330 and singles at £250. Suffolk ewes in general maintained strong demand, with an overall average at £110 per life.

Among a handful of prime cattle, cull cow trade was again solid, top of £1,497, 189.5p/kg, going to a 790kg black and white from Anthony Bolland, Bolton Abbey, other meat cows trading either side of 170p/kg and lean cows either side of 160p/kg. Over 30-month clean heifers sold to £1,336.51, 213.5p/kg, from the Bell Busk Moorhouses.

Another strong rearing calf trade for 41 on offer peaked at £505 for a British Blue-x bull from the Bolland family, Airton, plenty of other Blue bulls making £380-£430, while Blue-x heifers sold to £415 from the Sowray brothers, Bishop Thornton, who did better with Charolais youngsters, selling bulls to £470 and heifers to £425, also presenting the £275 top price Aberdeen-Angus heifer calf.

Native prices peaked at £370 for an Angus bull from Rainhall Farm, Barnoldswick, with Flasby Estates topping two sections when selling Limousin-x bull calves to £420 and black and white bulls to £172.