AN increased entry of 74 Spring lambs at Skipton Auction Mart, on Monday, sold well and to an improved overall average on the week of £108.42 per head, or 250.2p/kg.

Farleton’s Robert Towers once again presented some first-rate runs, topping the sale twice with £130 per head Texel and Charolais pens, also selling Suffolks to £118 each.

Basil Jarvis, of Marton-cum-Grafton, headed the by-weight prices with a 302.4p/kg Texel pen, with Charles Marwood, of Whenby, York, also stepping up with some nice runs of Charollais lambs, which sold to highs of £115 each and a section-topping 285.4p/kg.

The turnout of 2,776 prime and lightweight hogs traded on a par with the previous week when averaging £82.26 per head, or 188.05p/kg.

Both lightweights and export weights were good to sell, with some nice runs of horned lambs touching 200p/kg, while handy-weight Mules were on the top side of 190p/kg.

Commercial export lambs were around 210p/kg, with the best end anywhere from 240p up to 292.9p/kg, or £123 per head, for a Beltex pen from Frankland Farms in Rathmell, and 290p/kg for a Texel pen from Jim and Paul Baines, of Trawden, with a section high of £128 per head from Skipton’s George and John Stapleton.

Heavy hoggs continued to find the going tougher, with buyers complaining of too much fat.

Vendors responded to the call for cast sheep and nearly 500 cull ewes were presented to average £90.99 per head, peaking at £131.50 each for a Texel pen from David Pawson, of Blackburn. The 18 cast rams forward sold to a high of £139.50 for a Texel from Lea & Son in Barnsley, averaging £104.39 per head overall.

The 442 head of breeding sheep – 162 females with 280 lambs at foot – saw trade strengthen a touch on the week, now that grass is starting to appear and more customers beginning to look for sheep.

In the Texel classes, ewes with twins sold to £240, others with single lambs to £200 per outfit. Suffolk-cross ewes and lambs sold to £210 and Mule shearlings with twins to £230, with Charollais shearlings with twins from Margaret Watkinson, of Sessay, setting the day’s high of £270 per outfit.