Another very successful weekly Monday market was staged at Skipton Auction Mart, with a solid turnout of over 1,800 head of livestock going under the hammer and all readily sold. The entry comprised 52 prime cattle, 1,724 prime sheep, 20 goats and 39 rearing calves.

On a day that is traditionally a bank holiday, many in the retail butchery trade took advantage of the opportunity to escape their still extremely busy shops and replenish stocks of prime local beef from leading regional farmers, resulting in more keen competition for the 25 under 30-month clean cattle on offer.

There was a strong representation of retail butchers from both West and North Yorkshire and across into Lancashire, with Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster the leading buyer when accounting for seven high quality entries, among them the top price per kilo heifer, a 560kg Limousin from the Critchley family in Hutton at 255.5p/kg, or £1,465.

Joint top gross prices of £1,465 fell to a brace of 585kg Limousin-cross heifers from regular vendors, the Kitching brothers in Threshfield and, once again, the Critchleys. Both sold at 250.5p/kg, the former among a three-strong haul by James Robertshaw for Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton, the latter falling to George Cropper Jnr for his Sanderson’s Butchers in Baxenden. He took home a couple.

Another Red Rose meat man Phil Gregory secured the two leading price steers among three for his D&A Gregory & Sons Butchers in Bacup. Taking top call at 259.5p/kg, or £1,427, was a 550kg British Blue-cross yet again from the Critchleys, followed at 246.5p/kg, or £1,417, for a 575kg Blue-cross also from the Kitchings.

Paul Ellison returned to claim three cattle for Ellison’s Butchers in Cullingworth, with single purchases also made by Mr Robertshaw, this for his own Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton, and Simon Barker for his mart-based Barker’s Yorkshire Butchers.

An improved turnout of 24 cull cows featured more heavy cows carrying flesh, with the 80-95p/kg achieved for plain, worn cows said to represent an exceptional trade, even with the big dairies at 115-120p/kg.

A steaker type cow was able to make 110p/kg, a price underpinned by grazing trade and the beef crosses, which sold at 140p/kg-plus to a day’s high of 157.5p/kg, or £1,141, for a Limousin-cross from the Mallinson family in Mount Tabor, Halifax The overall selling average was £757.23 per head, or 113.41p/kg, this virtually identical to the previous Monday.

In the prime sheep ring, another increased entry of 154 Spring lambs again met a nice trade, with notably strong demand from wholesalers and more butchers buying online. Doing best at £140, or 325p/kg, was a single 43kg Texel from Tim Robinson, of Dutton, Longridge. Like the previous week, the price leader was claimed by George Cropper Jnr for his Sanderson’s Butchers in Baxenden.

Steeton’s Mark Evans also caught the eye with £134 and £132 per head Suffolk trios, the former claimed by Nick Dalby for RP Setchfield Butchers in Roundhay, Leeds, the latter by Andrew Atkinson for Hartshead Met Co in Mossley, Greater Manchester. The overall Spring lambs selling at 255p/kg.

The 1,294 old season lambs, again of mixed quality, averaged £92.30 per head, which was very similar to the previous Monday, or 186.4p/kg. Nice handyweights were able to make 220-250p/kg, peaking at 253p/kg and £122 per head for Texels once more consigned by the Hutchinson family, from Faceby in Hambleton

Commercial lowland handyweights made 200-215p/kg, while heavies again did well, the smarter end hitting £110-£120 and commercial types making £98-£108. A large percentage of the entry was hill-bred, with North of England Mules selling either side of £2 per kilo and the better horned types at 190-205p/kg.

Of the 256 cast sheep forward the majority were, as usual, cull ewes and all classes again proved good to sell, lowland sheep topping at £145.50 per head for Texels from Thornhill Fenwick & Co in Eshton, with Mules from Simon Spensley, of Gargrave, selling to £108.50.

Cull ewes averaged £75.13 and cast rams £123.50. These peaked at £139.50 for a Texel again from Thornhill Fenwick & Co. Goats sold to £87.50 at an average of £82.50.

Rearing calf trade was described by auctioneer Kyle Hawksworth as “flamboyant across the board for all classes.” All but one of the British Blue-cross bull calves on offer achieved £300-plus, up to a top of £425 for another grand calf from Sutton-in-Craven’s Richard Spence.

Medium Blue bull calves were able to make either side of £380, while even smaller ones achieved both sides of £300, producing a solid section average of £358. Medium Blue heifers also caught the eye at £270 up to £300 top call, this for an entry from Malcolm Fewster, of Gomersal.

Still with the Continentals, Limousins topped at £400 for a bull calf from the Sowray brothers in Bishop Thornton, with an across-the-board breed average of £358.

Native youngsters were again keenly sought, selling to a top of £340 for an Aberdeen-Angus bull calf from Mark Smith, of Winterburn, while black and whites flew away to a top of £145 for a bull calf from Flasby Estates, producing a breed average of £81.