PRIME LAMBS

1102 lambs sold to a market average of 296p/kg with quality once again in demand with 21 pens selling over £150 per head. The sale peaked at £179 twice, firstly for 58kg Texel lambs from J Stott Jnr, Crosscrake and secondly 65kg Hampshire lambs from A & S Miles, Pennington. A consignment of well finished lambs from DE & SM Moorhouse, Natland saw full pens of Texel sell to £169.50 and Suffolks from the same good home sell to £167.
300 lambs weighing 46-50kg averaging an impressive 300p/kg, with commercial standard weight lambs regularly selling 295-305p/kg depending on finish.
First draw of Mule lambs saw 50kg lambs sell to £139.50 from Drinkall Bros, Over Wyresdale.
Returning buyers ensured all butcher type and better bred lambs achieve the maximum returns. With the top pence a kilo was 354p/kg from W Garnett & Son, Milnthorpe with others selling to 340p/kg from J & O Galbraith & Son, Endmoor with these lambs regularly selling 335-340p/kg.
A smaller show of lighter bred lambs all sold to an improved trade on the week with these types regularly 290p/kg as long as they had plenty of meat.

CAST EWES

A small post festival of ewes forward with a sharp rise in trade with all forward averaging £94, with over half the entry being leaner hill bred ewes. Heavy continental ewes sold to £158 for Texel x from E Dodgson, Kendal who sold others at £156, and £155 achieved by C Wilson, Witherslack. Other heavy continental ewes generally £130-£150 to include Suffolk x at £146 from W Garnett & Son, Milnthorpe. Hill bred ewes sold to £144 for Border Leicester from A & S Miles, Ulverston with Cheviots to £106 from C Wilson, Witherslack. Mules sold to £114 from JE Wightman, Lupton with others at £110 from RG & L Holmes, Carnforth and JT Proctor, Flookburgh. Medium Mules regularly £95-£108. Leaner light weight ewes keenly bid for selling regularly achieving £50-£65 depending on breed and quality. Cull rams sold to £128 for a medium Texel from DE & SM Moorhouse, Natland. Several hoggs still forward which are now sold within the cull ewes section, today topped at £100 for a Texel x from JW Robinson & Son, Farleton with Shetland x selling to £76 from LA Prescott, Cartmel.