A full contingent of buyers produced exceptional and fast-selling trade for the 2,858 head of prime sheep entered for Skipton Auction Mart’s weekly Monday sale.

The 2,668 old-season lambs sold to an overall average of £85.85 per head, or 206.31p/kg. This was a marked increase on the previous week’s £81.94, or 195.2p/kg.

There were more lambs over 200p/kg than under, with a total of 223 pens breaking through the £2 per kilo barrier and just 135 pens under.

The mart’s livestock sales manager and auctioneer Ted Ogden said: “There were some great runs of lambs, highlighted in both individual breed prices and averages. Not only were fantastic prices achieved for the 1,513 Continental and lowland breeds, but the 1,155 hill-bred lambs also performed well, with several prices over £90 per head for Mule, Swaledale, Lonk, Gritstone, Lonk, Cheviot and Scotch Black Faced lambs.”

Beltex-cross lambs again proved the pick on price, selling to an overall average of £103.36 per head, or 262.8p/kg, with a whole host of three-figure pens, chief among them entries from Paul Simpson, of Forest Beck, who sold two pens at £118, one to the day’s by-weight top of 327.8p/kg. Fox Farms, of Clitheroe, also sold a pen at £118 per head.

Texels also stood out when averaging £91.43 per head, or 210.1p/kg, with Skipton regular Jimmy Baines, of Trawden, selling multiple pens at three figures, including one at £134, the day’s leading per head price, or 302.4p/kg.

Suffolks averaged 205.6p/kg, or £92.08 each, peaking at a per head high of £120 for a pen from John Airey; of Elslack, with a by-weight top of 236.5p/kg from Grindleton’s James Towler. Individual breed highs and averages are at www.ccmauctions.com Cast sheep, 191 in total, also traded well, with prices similar to the previous week.

Cull ewes averaged a shade over £68 per head, topping at £108.50 each for Texel pens from both David and Diane Findlay, of Coverdale, and Chris Craven, of Kexby, who also headed the ram prices at £129.50 with a Suffolk. Cast rams averaged £92.11 per head overall.