Spring lambs sell to £96 a head at Kington sale

Lambs sold to £96 a head at McCartney’s of Kington’s sale of finished sheep yesterday (Thursday 19 July).

A total of 2,100 sheep went under the hammer, including an entry of 1,750 spring lambs which averaged 1.93p/kg and peaked at 2.15p/kg.

Lambs between 32kg and 39kg averaged 1.93p/kg up to 2.15p/kg

Lambs between 39.5kg and 45.5kg averaged 1.92p/kg up to 2.00p/kg

Lambs between 46kg and 52kg averaged 190p/kg up to 1.97ppk

All lambs sold to a good trade, with a top price of £96 a head for some 49kg lambs from BJ Layton & Co.

However, McCartney’s said:  “The supply of lambs is under pressure due to the excessive wet period and farmers are finding it difficult to fatten their lambs off grass alone and this is leading to lean lambs being marketed.”

Meanwhile, there was another small entry of end of season hoggets which sold to an excellent trade and averaged 1.57p/kg to include hoggets with teeth up. The hoggets sold up to £85 a head.

Thereafter, a good entry of 500 cull ewes met good trade, with buyers stocking up for the forthcoming religious festival.  Ewes sold to a top price of £115 for some Charollais x ewes from G Griffiths, with an average of £74.10 a head.  Tups and weathers sold to a top of £129 and an average of £88 a head.