A SLIGHTLY smaller show of 4,251 prime sheep at Skipton Auction Mart’s weekly Monday sale met with a much sharper trade, especially for a commercial type of lowland-bred lamb, producing an overall selling average for the 3,781 prime lambs on parade of £70.17 per head or 162.3p/kg, compared to the previous week’s £66.67 per head, or 156.82p/kg.

The smart end again proved good to sell, with Hannah Brown, of Leyburn, leading the sale for the second week in succession with a Beltex pen at £114 each, or 265p/kg.

Commercial Continental lambs, regardless of weight, were £2 to £3 per head dearer on the week, resulting in 40kg to 45kg lambs selling from 165p to 175p/kg, while the heavies traded at 150p to 160p/kg, depending on quality.

Mule wether lambs were £3 to £4 apiece dearer on the week, the best end of 45-46kg lambs working into £27 to £28 over the weight, with the very best selling at over £30. Charles and Richard Kitching, of Threshfield, caught the eye when selling two pens of 45kg Mules at £75 per head.

More commercial sorts were £24 to £25 over the weight, while horned lambs were no dearer on the week, generally around 130p/kg.

The 470 cast sheep forward also met a very similar trade on the week, with cull ewes averaging a shade over £44 per head and cast rams £60.71 each. Ewes peaked at £97.50 per head for a Texel pen from Stephen Holt, of Queensbury, with a Beltex from D Feather, of Sutton-in-Craven, the pick of the rams at £88.50.

Meanwhile, Skipton Auction Mart’s latest fortnightly Wednesday sale of 2,646 store lambs and 222 breeding sheep produced an overall selling average of just over £49 per head, with a healthy trade for the better end of lambs and growing types.

The standout performers were Robert Metcalfe, of Brearton, who sold 64 Suffolks at £64 each, and James Hall, of Darnbrook, who made £57.20 per head with 100 Mules. Long keep and wintering lambs made up the greater percentage of the entry and found seasonal buyers keen.

The pick of the breeding sheep was a pen of £85 per head Texel ewes from Stuart Hodgson, of Glossop, with gimmer lamb prices headed at £82 each for a consignment of Mules from JB Taylor, of Diggle, Oldham. Rams peaked at £400 for a Texel from Angela Nairey, of Blackburn.