SPRING lambs are beginning to come forward in greater numbers at Skipton Auction Mart and the 60-head forward at Monday’s sale met a very level trade, averaging 251.3p/kg, or £112.69 per head.

Robert Towers, of Farleton, and Charles Marwood, of Whenby, led the field with Charollais-bred lambs.

Mr Towers sold pens at £126, £122 and £120 twice, with a by-weight high of 282.1p/kg. Four of his lambs fell to Edwards Farm Butchers in Padiham.

Mr Marwood had pens at £115, £114 and £110 per head, peaking at 273.9p/kg. Three of them were bought by Hebden Bridge butcher Stephen Maskill.

Steeton’s Mark Evans also caught the eye when selling two pens of Suffolk lambs at £118 per head and to 248.5p/kg, while South Yorkshire’s John Key, of Stocksbridge, presented the top price by weight 276.5p/kg Suffolks, selling his pens at £115 and £113.

Texel prices were headed at £108 and £101 per head by entries from CR Wilson, of Wilpshire, Blackburn, whose by-weight top was 265.8p/kg.

Of the 3,189 prime sheep forward for sale, the 2,805 hoggs included some great lowland entries, with very smart types up around 300p/kg.

Kevin Marshall, of Darley, led the by-weight prices at 330p/kg, or £119 per head, with his 36kg Beltex pen purchased by Vivers Scotlamb, of Annan.

Nick Capstick, from Bolton-by-Bowland, had the highest gross price pen of the day at £136 per head for 56kg Beltex-cross hoggs sold to Thomas Shepherdson, of Slaithwaite.

Commercial lowland lambs went under the hammer from 190p to 225p/kg and prime hoggs sold to an overall average of £86.97 per head, or 197.2p/kg, up on the previous week’s £83.03, or 188.9p/kg,