Beltex cross lambs break mart record at Lingfield Christmas pirmestock show

CCM Auctions reported an “outstanding, high quality entry” of stock at the fourth annual Lingfield Christmas primestock show and sale held at Skipton Auction Mart on Sunday (27 November).

The sale saw a packed ringside with the region’s butchers attending in large numbers to source local prime beef, lamb and pork ahead of the Christmas rush.

CCM chairman Anthony Hewetson, or Bell Busk, said the show and sale represented the “culmination and celebration of a fantastic fatstock year at Skipton, which has seen record numbers pass through the sales rings and record prices achieved”.

The highlight of the day was a record price achieved by the supreme champion prime lambs – a trio of Beltex-cross lambs from James Garth & Son, Birk Knott Farm, Keasden, which were sold for a mart record price of £690 to Dunbia Foods, Preston.

Meanwhile in the butchers’ cattle classes, the supreme championship title went to a 16-month-old British Blue x heifer, weighing in at 500kg. This one was put forward by Clare Cropper and John Mellin, Mill House Farm, Long Preston, and sold for £2,550 (£5.10/kg) to James Robertshaw, Kellham Farm Shop, Thornton, Bradford.

And the champion trio of Pietrain x Large White prime pigs sold for £182 a head (202p/kg) to John Summers Family Butchers, Druids Street, Clayton, Bradford – buyers of last year’s beef champion and reserve. The pigs were put forward by Yorkshire Dales farmer James Middleton, Amerdale House, Arncliffe.

BEEF

Beef champion winners, Clare and John have had a successul season, clinching a total of ten supreme championships, including the champion Charolais heifer at Countryside Live in October. As well as securing the supreme championship on Sunday, the pair also took the prize of best home-bred animal for their Limousin byullock, which sold for £1,609 (270.5p/kg) to James Dewhirst, who was buying on behalf of Stanforths Butchers, Skipton.

Other stock put forward by the pair achieved high prices, with a Limousin x heifer selling for £1,617 (269.5p/kg) to Red Rose butcher George Cropper, and a Continental x steer selling for £1,422 (249.5p/kg) to Kellham Farm Shop.

Meanwhile the beef reserve champion, a British Blue x bullock from father and son Matt and Ben Townsend, Barnside Hall Farm, Laneshawbridge, sold for £1,538 (287.5p/g) to Preston-based Bowland Foods’ buyer Geoff Nutter, on behalf of Stephen Hallsworth Buthcers, Whalley. They also bought the a Limousin x heifer from TWH Farming, Raven Farm, Stirling for £1,519 (341.5p/kg).

SHEEP

Other leading prices in the prime lamb classes included £190 a head for a trio of Beltex crosses from 2010 supreme champions Martin and Val Brown, Beechwood House Farm, Newton-le-Willows, Bedale. The trio sold to section judge Paul Bartholomew, Vivers Scotlamb, Annan. Mr Bartholomew also snapped up a pen from the Garth farming family for £148 a head, and one from Richard Caton, Stainforth, for £132 a head.

PIGS

The reserve pig championship was awarded to a pen from John Midgley, Dean House Farm, Luddendenfoot, Halifax, selling to 120p/kg each to butcher judge Stephen Taylor, of W Taylor and Son, Bamber Bridge. He also bought a trio of native-bred pigs from Calderdale breeders P Crook and Mrs P Stewart.