WITH the January prime cattle show on hold for a week, a light and mixed turnout of seven under 30-month clean cattle met a very good trade.

Both the top gross and highest price per kg at £1,925, or 309.5p/kg, fell to a 622kg Limousin-cross heifer consigned by John Mellin, trading as Higher Burnt Hill Farm at Black Lane Ends. The purchaser was Hartwith’s Nick Dalby.

The mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers accounted for two cattle, among them a 593kg Limousin-cross steer from Threshfield brothers Charles and Richard Kitching at 302.5p/kg, or £1,794, while Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton acquired the second highest priced heifer, another Kitching entry, this time a 594kg Blonde-cross, which made 301.5p/kg, or £1,791.

A trio of over 30-month prime cattle traded to an overall average of 170.86p/kg, or £1236.67.

The deferred monthly show will now take place this coming Monday, at which a full complement of wholesale buyers alongside extra retail customers is anticipated at the ringside.

The 20 cast cattle forward produced a very good New Year trade across all types. In a sale which comprised mainly dairies the thick, heavy and 38-month-old cows among them made165-170p/kg, while steaking cows were not far behind with a lot of half to three-quarter meat cattle trading at150-160p/kg.

The best dairy gross was £1,514 for a black and white from Mark Smith in Winterburn, by-weight prices peaking at 171.5p/kg twice for entries from Elslack’s Chris Harrison, the dairy section producing a sold overall selling average of £1,158 per head.

Beef cows met a similar response from feeding orders, with the best gross £1,603 for a British Blue from R&E Pollard in Colne. A brace of seven-year-old outside fed Belted Galloway steers from Malham’s Neil Heseltine made 177.5p/kg and 162.5p/kg, or £1,326 and £1,183 respectively. The overall cull cow selling average by weight was 161.04p/kg.