A BUMPER entry of 5,500 prime, feeding and breeding sheep packed the pens on a busy May Day bank holiday Monday at Skipton Auction Mart, with the highlight annual seasonal shows for hoggs with lambs at foot and geld gimmer hoggs, the breeding sheep section itself attracting a turnout of 2,281 head.

Picking up a fourth consecutive annual win in the five Continental hoggs with lambs shows class were Skipton brothers John and George Stapleton, of High Skibeden Farm, who were first into the ring with their victorious Texel-x hoggs with single Beltex-x lambs to see them sell at a price-topping £320 per outfit (£160 per life) to Christopher Buckley in Huddersfield.

The Stapletons made a clean sweep of the prizes in their show class, their runners-up away at £300, the third prize pen at £290. Many of the best Continental hoggs and lambs got away at £240/£300, nice goods £210/£230, commercials under £200.

Notching up a hat-trick of successive annual wins in the North of England Mule show class with their five hoggs with single Texel/Beltex-x lambs were three generations of the Johnson family from Summerfield Farm, Felliscliffe – Raymond, son Robert and his teenage daughter Gemma. Their class victors topped the section at £220 per outfit (£110 per life) selling locally to Foulridge’s J&D Barritt.

The Johnsons also consigned the second prize pen, which made £205, the third prize pen from R&E Butterfield, of Bentham, away at £200. The best of the Mule hoggs were top side of £200, with £180- £195 for commercial sorts.

Suffolk-x hoggs and singles hit £305 per outfit (£152.50 per life) for strong Suffolk Scotch half-breds from Ed Sims, of Driffield, the same vendor also selling outfits with twins at £350. Show class winner, Welshman Dylan Davies, of Gwynfe in Carmarthenshire, sold his charges at £200, the third prize pen from TH Heslop & Son in Spofforth making £195.

Ewes and lambs were an excellent trade, with a great enquiry for all classes. A black Beltex sheep with single black gimmer lamb was offered for sale by fixture regular Hywel Williams, of Llanddeusant in Carmarthenshire, with proceeds going to The 3 Peaks Challenge Team who are raising money for the Sepsis Trust in memory of the late Hannah Brown. A group of her friends are tackling the 3 Peaks later this month.

The outfit sold for £350 when knocked down to mart regulars, Hannah’s parents Martin and Val Brown, of Leyburn, for their granddaughter, Milly Daisy Richardson in Dufton, Appleby. Mr Williams also topped the Continental hogg prices at £178.

The sale began with geld hoggs and these were a very sharp trade, with several customers keen to secure sheep. A Wilson & Son, of Gordale, presented their annual consignment of home-bred hoggs, picking up both first and second prizes in the show class for ten geld Mule gimmers, sold at £155 and £162 respectively, the latter toping their consignment when claimed by JG Senior, of Huddersfield. A breed average of £147 was deemed a very respectable result.

Swaledales sold to £135 from Willie Shirt, of Edale, and averaged £109, while the main of the Continental hoggs sold from £140 to £160. A standalone show class for 10 geld Continental gimmer hoggs was won by Ken Marston, of Askwith, Brian Church, also from Askwith, finishing runner-up, with both pens away at £145.

All show classes, sponsored by Top Tags Animal ID and the British Wool Marketing Board, were judged by David Wood, of Rivington.

Turning to the weekly prime shows, 3,385 prime sheep saw the 105 Spring lambs among them short of requirements, with a good trade throughout and an overall selling average of £142.95 per head, or 343.98p/kg. The 2,885 old season hoggs levelled at £123.77 per head, or 256.4p/kg, a shortage of handy and smarter hoggs producing a good trade. Of the 392 cast sheep, cull ewes sold well to average £110.21, with a cast ram average of £130.50.

A light bank holiday turnout of under 30-month prime cattle saw Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton secure a trio, among them the top gross and by-weight steer, a 600kg Limousin-x from Charles and Richard Kitching in Threshfield, at £1,827, or 304.5p/kg, who also claimed the highest gross of £1,895, or 298.5p/kg, with a 635kg Charolais heifer sold to the mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers. Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton was another retail purchaser. Cull cow trade remained solid, the section averaging £1,238.41, or 174.42p/kg,

A bumper turnout of 87 rearing calves sold to a full ringside, with trade buoyant, notably for Blues bulls, the best selling at £450-£490 top call from the Sowray brothers in Bishop Thornton.