A NEAR full complement of retail butcher buyers back at the prime cattle ringside at Skipton Auction Mart, on Monday, coupled with a good show of cattle, saw trade slightly firmer on the week with the extra demand.

A total of 20 under 30-month clean cattle entered the sale ring, when the leading gross price of £1,413, or 235.5p/kg, fell to a 600kg Limousin-cross steer from Carleton’s James Drake, claimed by leading buyer Keelham Farm Shop and one of seven acquisitions on the day for its Skipton and Thornton outlets.

The top grossing heifer, a 575kg British Blue from Brian Lund of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, made £1,412, or 245.5p/kg, when becoming one of three purchases by Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop, based at Lancaster Leisure Park.

Per kilo prices peaked at 246.5p for a British Blue-cross steer from Jim and Christine Scrivin, of Elslack, and 247.5p for a Limousin-cross heifer from Threshfield’s Charles and Richard Kitching. The respective buyers were Keelham and Countrystyle Meats.

Hamlets Butchers in Garstang, which has taken to buying champion prime lambs at Skipton of late, also turned its attention to the prime cattle arena when paying £1,353, or 239.5p/kg, for a Blonde-cross steer from Roger Wood, of Cross Roads, Keighley.

Appleton’s Butchers, of Market Place, Ripon, was another returning retail buyer through their local representative Simon Barker, who runs the Stanforths butchery business and meat production unit at Skipton Auction Mart.

He secured a Limousin-cross heifer from Malham Moor’s Bill Cowperthwaite for £1,216, or 229.5p/kg, on behalf of Appleton’s, a traditional pork butcher which was established in 1867 and is this year celebrating its landmark 150th anniversary. It also has shops in Wetherby, York and

Boroughbridge, and it is there that the Skipton beef will be going on sale. Stanforths also sourced prime beef for its own purposes.

The 46 cull cows on parade comprised 90 per cent dairy entries, with the best end up in price again on the week when comfortably making £850-plus and selling to a high of £876 for a black and white from Lothersdale’s Geoff Booth. Brian Lund was again to the fore when presenting the top price £1,003 British Blue cull cow. The section achieved an overall average of £674.07 per head, or 101.15p/kg.

At the Mart’s weekly Monday sale almost 3,000 prime sheep were penned, and while quality was described as “very mixed,” the overall selling average of £70.11 per head, or 163.9p/kg, was deemed a good result on the day - and actually dearer on the week.

The 2,511 prime hoggs among the turnout saw handy weighted, well fleshed lambs trade well all day, with the 38-42kg weight range receiving better attention than the previous week. Smart Continental 36-37kg entries sold well too. Henry Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, was responsible for the top price gross and by-weight Beltex pen, which made £104 per head, or 226.1p.kg.

Mule lambs met a similar trade, notably those weighing in at 42-44kg, with section highs of £78 per head from Roy Nelson, of Bordley, and 156.8p/kg from Draughton’s Joe and Nancy Throup.

Almost 500 cast sheep were also penned for sale, with cull ewes trading on a par with the previous week, though well-meated sorts found a good enquiry, as did heavy types. The overall section average was £56.67 per head, with highs of £110.50 and £105.50 each for Texel pens from Henry Atkinson again, who, for good measure, also presented the top price £109.50 ram, another Texel. Cast rams averaged £53.45.