NEW season lamb trade at CCM Skipton has continued at a similar level for three weeks, with no real peaks and troughs, though still sailing along nicely at over £3 per kilo.

Monday’s turnout of 1,550 Spring lambs again reflected the current trend when producing an overall selling average of £133.18 per head, or 310.2p/kg. Bear in mind that this average is still around a hefty £12 per head up on the same period last year, then the mart reckons if it can be maintained into main sales season most producers will be happy.

Again, meat was at the forefront of most buyers’ minds, anything with style and weight in ready demand. Heavies in particular received plenty of interest, York-based Craven Farms leading the day’s per head prices at £190 each with 54kg Texel selling to Farmers Fresh (Wales).

Also doing well in this weight range were RR&M Wade & Son, Sabden, with 55kg Beltex purchased at £180 apiece by regular buyer Joe Bosworth for Rossendale Meats, while the same price fell to the Oldfield brothers, Gisburn, with 53kg Beltex going to Lister Brown, Halifax. 

Leighton Bancroft, Earby, weighed in with 50kg Texel at £178 selling to Knavesmire Butchers, York, E&M Townley & Son, Clapham, making £176 with 55kg Texel, again purchased by Lister Brown, Joe Bosworth also paying £175 for 51kg Beltex that topped a nice run from the Avis family, York.

Handier weighted sheep generally claimed the higher per kilo prices, J&F Nutter, Hurst Green, selling 44kg Beltex at a price-topping 413p/kg, or £182 per head, these also joining Knavesmire Butchers, the Avis’s also hitting 381p/kg twice with 44kg and 43kg lambs, both grossing £164 and both purchased by Rowland Agar Wholesale Butchers, Ilkley.

Mark Smith, Winterburn, made 380p/kg, £156, with 41kg Texel, other best end lambs away at 340p/kg-plus and 61 pens exceeding 340p/kg. A nice type was 315-335p/kg, commercial lambs 280-310p/kg depending on weight and style.

As is usual at this time of year prime hogg numbers continue to fall, the 48 on offer averaging £87.25, or 217.5p/kg, selling to a per head high of £130 from T Fitton, Halton West, and by-weight top of 273.8p/kg, again from the Oldfield brothers.

The near 500-strong cast sheep entry saw both plain and lean cull ewes dearer on the week, with full meat and ewes with weight maintaining similar levels. Texel ewes sold to £229.50 from Owain Chapman, Skyreholme, smart ewes with weight making £190-£220, medium smart ewes £150-£170, the lighter end £125-£150.

Heavy first-crossed ewes sold at £170-£190, next grade full meat ewes £150-£165, leaner types £110-£130, plain crossed ewes £80-£110. Mule ewes sold to £169.50 from S&P Scriven, Elslack, fat Mules away at £125-£135, lean meat ewes £115-£125, plain Mules either side of £100.

Swaledale ewes sold to £111.50, those with full meat £80-£90, lean ewes £50-£65 and plain sorts £30-£45. The overall cull ewe average was £123.20. Cast rams averaged £138.67, while a solitary nanny goat from J&L Smith, Menston, sold well at £174.50 In the cull cow sale ring, top per head call of £1,347, or 177.5p/kg, fell to an MRI from T&S Holgate, Halton West, with two further four-figure sales falling to black and white dairies from PA Whitaker, Bolton Abbey, at £1,149 and £1,013, or 167.5p/kg and 166.5p/kg.

A black and white heifer from Stuart Verity, Clitheroe, headed the by-weight prices at 184.5p/kg, other dairy cows trading at 166-177.5p/kg for those carrying meat, lean heifers 175.5p/kg-plus, with an overall section average for nine head of 163.9p/kg, or £1,101.

The 22 dairy-bred rearing calves forward featured an across-the-board offering, with trade remaining strong and peaking at £480 for a British Blue-cross bull from the Eastby Ayrtons, other nice Blue bulls selling at £440-plus, the younger end either side of £400, the section averaging £402.

Blue-x heifer calves averaged £380, all making £350-plus and topping at £410 from D Calvert & Son, West Marton. Johnny Peel, Gisburn, did notably well when achieving five section highs, selling Charolais-x bulls to £385, their heifer counterparts to £290, Limousin-x bulls to £330, same way bred heifers to £295 and Aberdeen-Angus heifers to £220. Angus bull calves sold to £360 from M Fewster, Cleckheaton..

This coming Monday is also a rearing calf show day, with all classes required for a strong customer base