TODMORDEN sheep farmer Robert Fielden arrived at Skipton Auction Mart as usual at the beginning of August with his opening prime lambs consignment and, as he has done in the past, secured the championship at the monthly show with a pen of five from his first draw. (Mon, Aug 2)

Mr Fielden, of Speke Edge Farm, claimed leading honours with his first prize Continental pen, five home-bred April-born 42kg Beltex-x-Texel lambs, all by Skipton-bought tups. They sold for £128 per head, or 304.8p/kg, to show judge Anthony Swales, buying on behalf of Knavesmire Butchers in York.

In fact, the Albermarle Road shop claimed all three prize-winning Continental pens, paying £133 joint top gross, or 317p top price per kilo, for the second prize and reserve champion 42kg Beltex-x lambs from Ellis Bros on Addingham Moorside, the same gross price for the 47kg third prize pen from Stokesley’s Richard Wood. Also among a total of nine pens, or 27 lambs, heading to Knavesmire Butchers were others from JA Gibson & Son, of Church Fenton, at 283p/kg, or £133 joint top, and 275p/kg, or £121.

A standalone show class for Suffolk-x lambs was won by a 46kg pen from the Beamsley-based Hartley farming partnership, which made £98.50 per head, a price matched by the runners-up from Richard Shepherd, of Bewerley, Pateley Bridge.

Over 3,000 prime sheep were again penned for sale, among them 2,313 Spring lambs, which, outside the show pens, were an easier trade as they didn’t exhibit quite as much meat and contained more first-cross lambs. They were also easier in line with national trends, which is necessary to open up new markets as the volume comes on stream.

Having said that, lighter weight lambs sold very well, Continentals averaging 240p/kg, while 45kg lambs and above were still in demand for the best, Suffolk trading to £118, or 251p/kg, from John Mellin, of Black Lane Ends.

North of England Mule lambs remained a nice trade, averaging £89.39, with a pen of heavier lambs at £95 from the Mason family in Embsay. The overall Spring lambs selling average was £95.80 per head, or 225.9p/kg - 10p up on last year.

Also among the mix were 774 cast sheep, the majority again cull ewes, and while big ewes were in short supply well-bred types were keenly contested, with more lean ewes forward, all selling well to a full ringside of buyers. As a consequence, they were dearer on the week when averaging £92.88.

Best-bred Continental ewes with size made £138-£150, Giggleswick’s Jill Perrings catching the eye with Texel sales from £151.50-£168.50, while the Robinson brothers from Tosside sold Beltex ewes to £163.50. Mule ewes were well sold to a top of £130.50 from High Harbour Farm, travelling up from Lincolnshire. Cast rams averaged £100.42.

The same morning’s weekly sale of 36 rearing calves produced excellent trade, peaking at £460 for another solid British Blue-x bull calf from the Hartleys in Beamsley, others selling from £420 upwards for the stronger end. Blue-x heifers sold to £370 from JS&J Walmsley, of Ripley, who also headed the native prices at £320 with a sire-identified Aberdeen-Angus bull calf.

Limousin bull calves topped at £375 from Cononley’s James Gooch, who also presented the £355 top price same way bred heifer calf. A light entry of dairy bulls saw Ian Collins, from Dewsbury, sell mid-June born dairy Shorthorns to £190.