A BUMPER Monday turnout of 3,350 prime sheep this week at CCM Skipton included another solid entry of 2,917 prime lambs, for which trade remained over £3 per kilo when achieving an overall selling average of 304.4p/kg (SQQ 313.6p/kg), or £137.82 gross.

Handy-weight and lightweight lambs were dearer on the week, as were handy-weight hill lambs, with the best heavies and over-weights included Suffolk crosses from GW Thackray, Harewood, which traded to a sale high £195 when purchased by Hartshead Meats, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne. The same vendor also had further pens at £186, £184 and £180.

Geoff and Margaret Booth, Lothersdale, sold Texel lambs to £189, claimed by Pak Mecca Meats, Birmingham, with another pen at £180, while Kevin Marshall, Menwith Hill, topped his Texel run at £186.

Richard and Mark Ireland, Whalley, Skipton prime lamb champions for the past three months, were again to the fore, heading the Beltex-x prices at £183 with a 50kg pen, same way bred lambs from Adrian Leach, Hebden Bridge, topping the by-weight prices at 466.7p/kg with a 46kg pen, his top-quality run of 21 lambs averaging 446p/kg and peaking at £182 per head gross, a price matched by two pens from the Faceby Hutchinsons, with a per kilo high of 422p.

Brian Lund, Walshaw, sold three pens at £4 per kilo-plus to 421p/kg, others over 400p/kg coming from Ali Jenkinson, Langbar, D&A Livestock, Haverah Park, and TA&N Whitfield & Son, Morton Banks.

This week, more pens of smart-skinned Beltex and three-quarters Texel, 14 in total, achieved £4 per kilo, with plenty of smart, handy lambs making 360p/kg up to 400p/kg, the next grade 335-355p/kg. Trade for handy commercial lambs was 310-330p/kg, all breeds in the 36-45kg weight range averaging 315p/kg, with grass-fed types either side of 300p/kg.

Of the Mule, Masham and Cheviot wether lambs, heavy Masham again from the Hutchinsons sold to £162 and £155, Jess Marshall, Skipton, selling Mules to 293p/kg, other heavier Mules making £141-£148, a handier lamb in the mid to late 40kg range £131-£140. Cheshire vendor Bob Stubbs sold Cheviots to £141, followed at £140 from Thomas Atkins, Oldfield. Best horned lambs were 250-273p/kg.

Individual breed averages: Beltex £156.61 per head, 374.5p/kg, Texel £138.34, 304.1p, Suffolk £138.43, 295.5p, Charollais £148.10, 297.4p, Blue Texel £140.57, 309.6p, Cheviot £135.35, 292.6p, Mule £127.50, 277.1p, Blue Faced Leicester £156.6, 250.1p, Zwartable £139, 258.6p, Kerry Hill £120.20, 280.2p, Swaledale £87.59, 238.6p.

The entry also comprised 613 cast sheep, cull ewes seeing a similar trade on the week, with a top price of £259.50 for a Texel from A Moore, Otley. Best ewes with weight sold over £200, medium smart ewes £140-£170 depending on size. First-crossed heavy ewes got away at £160-£180, next grade full meat ewes at £140-£155, leaner ewes £120-£135, lighter ewes either side of £100 and feeding ewes £80-£110.

Mule ewes sold to £129.50 on a couple of occasions, the heaviest making £115-£125, leaner or medium full meat ewes £100-£114, plainer types £65-£85. Swaledale ewes traded to £107.50 from RW&B Chapman, Skyreholme, and £105.50 from the Baines family, Gisburn. Full meat horned ewes with weight made £78-£90.

In the prime cattle sale ring, 11 cull cows sold to an overall average of 156.35p/kg, or £1072.98, topping at £1659, 183.5p/kg, for a 904kg white entry from Martyn Jennings Dairy, Cowling, plus another at £1,203, 157.5p/kg. Cull cows with weight and flesh sold over 170p/kg, parlour cows at 150-160p/kg, plain sorts up to 145p/kg.

Beef-bred Hereford cull cows from T&EA Clayton, Boston Spa, sold to £1,188, 168.5p/kg, a mature Hereford stock bull from the same home making £1,914.84, 165.5p/kg. A small entry of under 30-month clean cattle included a brace of Shetland from Thomas Boothman, Linton, a steer making £1,438, a heifer £1,350, both 250p/kg, the same vendor also claiming £537 with a Dexter.

Looking ahead to next week, the winter timed online sale of working sheep dogs on Wednesday, November 27, has attracted an entry of 55, comprising 32 fully broken dogs, 18 part-broken and five unbroken. The full catalogue can be viewed at www.ccmauctions.com.

Among other upcoming highlight is the keynote Christmas primestock show on Sunday, December 1, along with the ninth annual winter show and sale of pedigree Beltex, Texel, Blue and Badger Face Texel females on Saturday, December 14, followed by the ever-popular annual Christmas sale of oven-ready poultry on Monday, December 23.