WITH retail customers remaining keen for stock, trade moved up another notch at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest Monday prime cattle sale, when 16 under 30-month clean cattle went under the hammer, with heifers seeing the trade of the day.

Paul Ellison, of Ellison’s Butchers in Cullingworth, was again in attendance, claiming a brace of cattle, including the leading gross price of £1,502 (254.5p/kg) for a 590kg Charolais-cross heifer consigned by regular vendors, Threshfield brothers Charles and Richard Kitching.

Heading the per kilo prices at 258.5p/kg (£1,396) was a 540kg Limousin-cross heifer from North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, of Westhouse, one of three purchases for Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton by weekly buyer James Robertshaw, who also bought a trio for his own Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton, among them a 580kg British Blue-cross heifer again from the Kitchings at £1,361, or 247.5p/kg.

Red Rose retail Butcher George Cropper Jnr was back at the ringside with two heifer purchases for his Sandersons Butchers in Baxenden, among them the joint highest price per kilo at 258.5p (£1,499) for a 580kg British Blue-cross, yet another entry from the finishing pens of the Kitching brothers.

The same vendors also presented the top gross price steer, a Limousin-cross sold for £1,395 and among the Robertshaw’s Farm Shop acquisitions, while the Smiths also headed the section per kilo prices at 244.5p with another Limousin-cross bought by Simon Berker, of Barkers Yorkshire Butchers, who claimed three for his mart-based wholesaling operation.

While cull cows were again thin on the ground, meated dairies again proved in ready demand, selling to 105p/kg-plus, with highs of £828 per head and 106.5p/kg for respective entries from Broughton’s Jeremy Taylor and RE Ayrton & Son, of Eastby.

The weather also helped feeders into a stronger price and the day’s eye-catcher was an Aberdeen-Angus-x from D Jeffrey, of Sutton-in-Craven, which made £1,033, or 140.5p/kg. The overall selling average of £734.74 per head, or 98.21p/kg, once more showed a significant improvement on the week.

The same morning’s weekly sale of 41 rearing calves saw a good number of smaller Continental types among the entry, which had an impact on trade. British Blue-cross bull calves sold to £255 at an average of £202, while Blue-cross heifers sold to £230 with an average of £195. Topping both sections were youngsters from Town Head Farm in Grassington.

Native youngsters did well, selling to a sale-topping £275 for an Aberdeen-Angus bull calf from RE Ayrton & Son, with the top price Angus heifer calf from Steven Marshall, of West End, making £195, which was also the Angus bull calf overall selling average.

Black and whites sold to a top of £170, this for a bull calf from C&A Morton in Laytham, east of York, and went on to average £127.50.

Skipton Auction Mart says it will be trading as usual this coming Easter Monday for both primestock and rearing calves. To assist in organising potential buyers, vendors are being asked to pre-book stock for sale with the section auctioneer.

Also on next week’s agenda is the fortnightly Wednesday sale of store cattle and young feeding bulls, with an entry of up to 600 head anticipated.