Prize winning Beltex cross sells for £155

History repeated itself, as leading honours at CCM Skipton’s Easter prime lamb show and sale both fell to showmen who headed the field at the previous year’s corresponding fixture.

Robert Towers, of Camp House Farm, Farleton, Lancaster, was champion again with a single Beltex-cross-Charollais gimmer lamb, while Mark Evans, of Tower Gate Farm, Steeton, once more secured the reserve championship with his Suffolk-cross-Texel single ram lamb.

The 49kg title winner sold for £155, top per head price in show, or 316.3p/kg, to butcher George Cropper, of Huntley’s Country Stores in Samlesbury, Preston, which has now bought the champion lambs at all three monthly prime shows this year.

Mr Evans’ 52kg reserve champion was not far behind on price when joining Alex Riley, of Riley’s Butchers in Love Clough, Rossendale, for £146, or 280.8p/kg. The family business goes back five generations, with the shop now run by Kevin Riley, though other members of the family are closely involved. Riley Bros also has its own abattoir in Dunnockshaw, Burnley.

While the weather hit both vendor and buyer numbers, there was another good trade for the 2,599 prime sheep, comprising 28 Spring lambs and 2,317 prime hoggs, that did make it to market, an excellent turnout in the circumstances, with quality types again selling well.

Leading independent family butchers and meat wholesalers from across the region were again prominent at the ringside, as they competed for the first of the season’s Spring lambs for the Easter market.

From a 12-strong consignment, Robert Towers also put forward the second prize Continental-cross single lamb – his red rosette winner was champion – a 46kg Beltex-x-Charollais that fell for £136, or 295.7p/kg, to show judge Harry Wood, of Bowland Foods, Preston. It is bound for regular customer John Thornber Butchers in Chorley Old Road, Bolton.

Further similarly bred entries also secured a first and second prize double for Mr Towers in the Continental-cross pairs class, both heading to the same buyers as his singles. The 38kg victors supplemented the Easter offering at Huntley’s Country Stores at £135 per head, or a show-topping by-weight high of 355.3p/kg, with the runners-up knocked down to Bowland Foods at £130 each, or 333p/kg. These, too, will be sold by John Thornber Butchers.

Mr Towers also chipped in with the top price per head Charollais pair at £143 apiece, bought by Mick Etherington on behalf of Farmer Copleys Farm Shop at Ravensknowle Farm in Purston Pontefract.

Mark Evans was again to the fore with the first prize Suffolk-cross pair of 42kg Spring lambs, bought at £143 a head, or 330.5p/kg, by Andrew Atkinson Livestock in Felliscliffe, Harrogate, on behalf of Roland Agar (Wholesale Butchers) in Ilkley. Mr Atkinson, again buying for Agar’s, also paid £107 and £101 a head respectively for the second and third prize Down-cross pens, both shown by R and E B Kenworthy, of Todmorden.

The overall Spring lamb selling average was £118.7p a head, or 284.59p/kg, while individual breed averages were: Texel £130 a head, 304p/kg, Charollais £133.60, 311.4p/kg, Suffolk £108.30, 280.2p/kg, and Down-x £100.50, 236.5p/kg.

While the overall average prime hogg price was down on the week at £83.69 per head, or 201.5p/kg, meated hoggs maintained recent good trading levels, with the best Beltex achieving over 300p/kg. The leading breed price of £137 per head, or 351.3p/kg, fell to Tim Robinson, of Dilworth, Longridge, these also joining Huntley’s Country Stores.

Meated export hoggs made 220-235p/kg, though hill hoggs and lean lowland lambs were easier in price on the week.

Cast sheep continued to rise in price, as numbers begin to tighten countrywide. With 254 head forward, cull ewes sold to an overall average of £53.85 each, headed at £119.50 by a Texel pen from Peter Longdin, of Tickhill, Doncaster, while cast rams averaged £79.33 each.

A small entry of 45 ewes with 76 lambs at foot saw Mule twins sell at £120 to £125 per outfit, with a pen of singles making £111. There was an overall average of £122 per outfit, or £43.52 per life.