Prime sheep sales hold up at Skipton

A busy Monday sale day at Skipton Auction Mart produced an increased entry of 2,593 prime sheep, with trade for the 2,294 hoggs among them every bit as good as the previous week when averaging 195.2p/kg, or £80.49 per head.

Lowland lambs were good to sell, with commercial export types making 185-195p/kg, a nice sort was 200p-210p/kg and the best end 230p/kg-plus, up to 270.7p/kg for a Beltex pen from Paul Simpson, of Bolton-by-Bowland.

Heavy lambs were dearer, with the 45-52kg range topping at £119 a head, or 242.2p/kg, for another pen from Mr Simpson, with a strong weight bracket average of 194.2p.kg, or £92.45 a head.

Hill lambs met with a sharp trade, especially lightweight horned entries, which in the main made 175-185p/kg.

Of the 299 cast sheep forward, cull ewes averaged £72.13 a head, with a day’s high of £127.50 for a Texel pen from Howard Barker, of Fewston. Cast rams averaged £83.07, another Texel from Andrew Fisher, of Low Laithe, again best at £128.50.

In the prime cattle arena, a total of 41 culls cows again sold well to an overall average of £749.70 per head, or 112.7p/kg, with a British Blue from Richard Maudsley in Rathmell leading the way by some margin at £1,510, or 186.5p/kg.

(CCM)