THERE was no let up in trade for the 488 Spring lambs sold at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday, which achieved an overall average of 345.3p/kg (349p SQQ), or £146.61 per head.

The Phillipson family, Briercliffe, topped per head at £176 with Texel lambs claimed by Robertshaw’s Farm Shop, Thornton.

Tony and Kay Kiernan, St Michaels, were next in line with £171 lambs to Kendalls Farm Butchers, Pateley Bridge and Harrogate, a price equalled by Steeton’s Mark Evans with Suffolk lambs claimed by West Scottish Lamb, Carlisle.

Per kilo, Darwen’s David and Laura Coar had the top three Texel pens at 390p, 385p and 384p, all selling to West Scottish Lamb.

While 682 prime hoggs were of mixed quality, heavies were still a decent trade, with £160-plus seen for the best end.

Chief price of £170 per head falling to Texels from the Hutchinson family, Faceby.

Per kilo, lowland lambs sold to 330p, with a section average of £128.42, or 280.9p/kg (SQQ 284.8p/kg).

The 190 cull ewes sold better than expected. White-faced goods were a tremendous trade, the best making £138-£157.50, averaging £92.61.

Cast rams averaged £113.40.

Also sold were 475 breeding sheep.

Continental ewes and shearlings with strong lambs made up to £315 for ewes with twins, while North of England Mule hoggs saw the best trade of the season to date, averaging £203, the Airey family, Elslack selling home-breds with Texel lambs up to £230.

Both Suffolk and Texel hoggs with lambs sold up to £220.

Skipton also staged its monthly Saturday collective sale of 167 head of cattle, 61 goats and sheep and a single pony, with plenty of trade about for stirks, weaned calves and young store cattle.

Full details of this and all other sales are at www.ccmauctions.com

There’s also a link on the home page to a brand-new episode of The Farming Country Podcast.