Bentham shearling ewes sell to massive demand

And outstanding level of demand for all classes of breeding sheep saw a massive jump in the average at Bentham Mart’s annual mule shearling dales with the entry levelling the day at £169.45, up £29.95 on last year.

Topping the sale were a pair of £280 bids, with both pens at this price coming from Ron and Fran Wilson. Next best at £240 was a pen from G E Jackson, while R J Heigh and R M and W P Heigh and Son also sold at this price on a flying trade. A total of 16 pens sold at £210 or more.

Meanwhile the Continental shearlings on offer sold on an even more impressive trade, peaking at £420 for a pen from J S Robinson, with this entry averaging £145.49, up by £13.47 on last year.

Other leading Continental prices included pens at £380, £320 and £300 from J S Robinson, with another £300 bid claiming a pen from H and J Priestley.

The Mashams forward were also in demand, selling to a top of £148 and averaging £140.94, up £28.75 on last year. (Bentham and District Farmers Mart).