WEATHERHEADS' Butchers, which has shops in Grassington and Pateley Bridge, bought a first prizewinner in the prime cattle show at Skipton Auction Mart’s high profile Christmas primestock highlight.

Andrew Weatherhead paid £2,183 for the red rosette-winning 590kg Limousin-cross British Blue heifer from Pendle husband and wife Mark and Elaine Hartley, of Roughlee.

Mr Weatherhead said: “We are always keen to source the very best meat that money can buy from local farmers and bought this top-notch award winner purposely for our customers’ Christmas tables.

“They deserve something really special at this special time of the year and the beef will now be fully matured to ensure it is in peak condition for Christmas. One thing’s for sure – some superb festive beef roasts are in prospect.”

Meanwhile, at the weekly Monday prime cattle sale, Malcolm Metcalfe, from Baldersby Park, was top price achiever with a British Blue-cross bullock that made £1,400, while Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge, headed the class by-weight prices with a 241.5p/kg Charolais-cross.

The top price £1,395 heifer was a Limousin-cross from Jeff Pickles, of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, with Mr Townsend again best by-weight with another Limousin-cross sold at 245p/kg.

Of the 12 under 30-month prime cattle forward, Keelham Farm Shop bought six of them and Stanforths Butchers three.

With processor trade quiet in the run-up to Christmas, the small turnout of just eight cull cows included some very lean dairies, which were better to sell than anticipated, while odd beef-cross cows were picked up by feeders making the most of the absence of factory demand. The day’s overall average was £377.62 per head, or 65.96p/kg.

And a larger than anticipated turnout of 4,364 prime sheep at the Monday sale incorporated 4,034 spring lambs and while trade was down on the week, an overall average of £67.82 per head, or 157.9p/kg, against an SQQ of 162.3p/kg, was seen as a very good result on the day.

Paul Simpson, of Bolton-by-Bowland, again led the way with a great run of lambs, seven of his Beltex pens selling for above £100 and topping at £121 per head, or 295.1p/kg.

In the weekly produce sale, hay mini hestons sold to £25 per bale and wheat straw round to £10.50 per bale.