Brisk trade at Bakewell sees lambs hit £186 a head

A busy day at Bakewell market saw more than 800 cattle and 2,200 sheep forward. With purchasers seeking to secure supplies before the Bank Holiday trade was brisk in all departments.

The Easter Lamb show was a resounding success with 132 spring lambs on offer and prices hitting 424p/kg and £186/head for the champion lamb. The overall lamb average was a very creditable 255p as was the SQQ average at 211.5p. Cull sheep deserve with ewes sold to £155 to average £98.31.

The largest proportion of the 801 cattle was in the store section with no fewer than 497 forward. Trade shows no sign of slackening with the sheep topping at £1,410 and heifers £1,170.

133 Finished cattle constituted a better entry than previous weeks with prices holding well to average 182.3p for a mixed sample.

105 OTM Cattle were dear with cull bulls hitting highs of £1,770 and £1,751. The overall OTM average of £852 a head put the level of trade in to context.