SPRING LAMBS
Junction 36’s weekly sale of prime lambs had a larger offering of 1032 spring lambs, selling to an overall market average of 242p/kg. This market average is very much in line with the national centres on the day.
The trade today saw well finished lambs selling to a premium with the best average being 255p/kg for 45kg upward lambs. It was heavy weight lambs which led the way with a cracking consignment of Suffolks from Helen Newton, Levens selling to £149, £142.50, £139 and £137. The consignment of heavy weight Texels from John Stott Jr, Crosscrake sold to £143 and £139. The run of heavy weight Texels from E Dodgson, Kendal sold a pen of 10 to £141 with other pens to £140. Plenty of heavy weight lambs still easily selling in excess of the £130 mark. Top p/kg this week was 283p for Texels from John Stott Jr with others to 282p/kg from AE & PC Capstick, Heversham. Plenty of pens of Farm Assured commercial lambs between 41-44kg continued to easily sell in excess of the £100 mark.
PRIME HOGGS
There is still plenty of demand for prime hoggs, with well finished hoggs selling in excess of 200p/kg easily with proper fed hoggs selling between 230p/kg – 240p/kg. Heavy weight Texel hoggs sold to £116 from T Sharp, Oxenholme. Handy weighted hoggs sold to 249pkg or £104 for Texels from GM & A Jackson, Little Eccleston with others from the same good home selling Herdwicks to £101, Scotch Blackfaces to £99 and Swaledales to £97.
CAST SHEEP
The weekly sale of cast sheep saw 350 forward, with all types selling to a competitive trade. Leading the way were pure Texel ewes selling to £142 from I L Dixon, Cantsfield with many of the pure-bred Texel ewes selling round the £130 mark, with an overall average for Texel ewes of £106. Zwartbles ewes from W B Winder & Co, Broughton-in- Furness sold to £136. Mule ewes were keenly bid for with the best regularly selling to the £110 mark, topping at £112 from W Garnett & Son, Milnthorpe, with others selling to £110 from TM W & H Hodgson, Ulverston. Medium type, fit Mule ewes, regularly sold to the £110 mark.
A run of Cheviot Mule ewes from C Wilson, Witherslack sold to £110. Hill ewes once again sold to a strong trade with Cheviots selling to £125 from J Allonby & Son, Grayrigg with others selling to £114 from T Ellis, New Hutton. A wonderful run of Rough Fell ewes from H Chapman & Son, Middleton sold to £116 with other Rough Fell ewes selling to £97 from W J Dawson, Dent.
Strong Swaledale ewes were the strongest trade of the day with a top of £113 from TM W& H Hodgson, Ulverston with others selling to £105 from R Lawrence, Grange-Over-Sands. Medium Swaledale ewes regularly selling at the mid £70 mark.
A smaller show of cast rams were forward with all rams easily sold and many more are needed to fulfil our buyers’ requirements. Beltex sold to £138 from G C L Stephenson, Kirkby Lonsdale who also sold Texels to £130. Hill bred tups topped at £95 for a Herdwick from A E A Harrison, Kentmere.