THE turnout of 3,219 prime sheep at Skipton Auction Mart’s weekly Monday sale was described as higher than anticipated for both for the time of year and prevailing weather conditions.

As a result, the 2,802 old season lambs among the mix met with a significantly stronger trade on the week, achieving an overall selling average of £77.93 per head, or 182.66p/kg, compared to £71.19, or 169.92p/kg, the previous Monday.

While the standout average was 189p for the 36kg to 45kg range, the day produced a long list of three figure prices, with Beltex pens once again the leading performers and Wigglesworth’s Paul Simpson proving the real eyecatcher with four pens at £100 per head and above, peaking at £116 and 297.4p/kg.

The pick of the Texel entries was a £104 per head pen from D&A Livestock, of Haverah Park, Harrogate, with a by-weight class high of 240p/kg from Duncan Cowking, of Slaidburn.

Commercial lambs were also good to sell, easily 15p/kg up on the week, with Jim Caygill of Rylstone, the headline performer when selling a run of 121 Texel lambs from Cheviot/Lleyn ewes to an overall average of 196.5p/kg. Heavy lambs found a decent following too, with 46kg to 52kg entries averaging 174p and 52kg+ lambs 165p.

Hill-bred lambs were also dearer on the week by around 10p to 12p per kilo, with the best of the Mules coming from Kevin Wilson, of Blubberhouses, who sold a pen of 20 at £83 per head and a further 20 at £81. Keith Slater, of Goosnargh, led the horned lamb trade with £82.50 each for his Scottish Blackface pen.

Cast sheep numbered 411 in total, with cull ewes stronger on the week at £60.38 per head and Hellifield teenager William Watson leading the way on price for the second week in succession with a £122.50 per head Texel pen. Cast rams were also slightly dearer on the week, averaging £73.64 per head and selling to a top of £92.50 for a Texel from Richard and Mark Ireland, of Whalley.