THE Bank Holiday gave retail butcher customers respite from their busy shops and the chance to restock with high quality meat with provenance at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest weekly Monday primestock sales.

In the prime cattle ring, a very good turnout of 31 under 30-month entries saw George Cropper Jnr, from Sanderson’s Butchers in Baxenden, pay top gross price of £1,455 (244.5p/g) for a 595kg Limousin-cross heifer from Charles and Richard Kitching, of Threshfield, also adding the leading price per kilo heavy heifer, a 505kg British Blue-cross from RT&J Critchley & Sons, of Hutton, at 249.5p/kg to his three purchases.

Phil Gregory, of DA Gregory and Sons Butchers in Bacup, also took home three, including two high priced 435kg Limousin-cross heifers from Simon Bennett, of Silsden Moor, the first at the day’s by-weight top of 267.5p/kg, the other making 249.5p/kg.

Top-priced steer at £1,395 (234.5p/kg) was a 595kg Limousin-cross again from the Kitching brothers, which became one of a trio buys by Simon Barker for his mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers.

The Critchleys also headed up the section by-weight prices at 248.5p/kg for a 540kg Limousin-cross, which was among a solid six acquisitions by another Red Rose butcher regular, Alan Beecroft, of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster.

James Robertshaw was again the principal buyer with nine acquisitions in total, six for his own Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton and three for Skipton-based Keelham Farm Shop. Paul Ellison returned to buy a brace of cattle for his Ellison’s Butchers in Cullingworth.

George Cropper Jnr was also prominent at the prime lamb ringside, paying the leading per kilo price of 325.6p for Texel crosses from CR&M Wilson, of Wilpshire, Blackburn – they also topped last week – following up with the top price £139 per head Suffolk crosses from Mark Evans, of Steeton. The same buyer further supplemented his Sanderson’s Butchers shopping basket with the second top price £135 Charollais from Robert Towers, of Ingleton.

The Easter Monday turnout of over 2,400 prime sheep produced very satisfactory trade across the board, with the 25 Spring lambs on offer selling to an overall average of £119.72 per head, or 288.3p/kg.

The 2,143 prime hoggs also produced pleasing trade across all classes and weight ranges, especially for the heavier types, which sold well in front of expectations. Heavy hoggs took the best lift on the week, with 50-56kg types £10-£15 per head dearer and very heavy sorts between £5 and £10 up. The overall average for old season lambs was £99.39 per head, or 214.7p/kg.

Once more, both retail and wholesale buyers were out in force, with Anthony Swales again making multiple buys for his Knavesmire Butchers in York, while Hartshead Meat Co in Mossley was also prominent among the wholesalers.

An entry of 237 cast sheep produced much improved trade, with heavy ewes, especially Mules, much dearer, the best end making £110-plus to a top of £121.50 from Tony Shepherd, of Eshton. Heavy Continentals were also much better sold at £125-plus, with the best bred fed ewes selling up to £151.50 from the Hartley family in Beamsley. The overall section average was £81.92.

Earlier in the day, an improved entry of 60 rearing calves produced joint top prices of £400 for British Blue-cross bulls from the Beamsley-based Hartleys and Sutton-in-Craven’s Richard Spence, both claimed by a South Yorkshire buyer, with an active ringside also including other purchasers from as far north as Wigton.

Blue bulls in particular are getting dearer week on week, with farmers looking to fill shed space with quality. The Hartleys also chipped in with the top price £345 Blue-cross heifer calf, while native youngsters got away well, as did black and whites, which averaged £68 overall.