Overall Average                                   83p/kg   £552.04

Black & White                       to 106.5 p/kg                       av 78.60p/kg

Ayr                                          to 88.5p/kg

MRI                                         to 92.5p/kg

Limx                                       to 118.5p/kg                        av 97.72p/kg

AAx                                         to 95.5p/kg                          av 89.72p/kg

Murray Grey                         to 92.5p/kg

Longhorn                               to 94.5p/kg                          av 90.26p/kg

Top Prices (£ per head or p/kg)

B&W:

£ per head: G Pickersgill&Ptns 772,770, Lea Partners 723, G Abbott&Sons 707

p/kg: G Pickersgill&Ptns 106.5,105.5, G France 98.5, A Lawson&Son 97.5, KM&L Throup 93.5

Other Dairy

£ per head: Lea Partners (MRI) 717, (Ayr) 589

p/kg: Lea Partners (MRI) 92.5, (Ayr) 88.5

Other Beef

£ per head: J&J Garnett (MG) 722, P Shackleton (AA) 678,551, JW Hall (Longh) 606,586

p/kg: P Shackleton (AA) 95.5,83.5, JW Hall (Longh) 94.5,86.5, J&J Garnett (MG) 87.5

Lim:

£ per head: K Huck 895, S Booker 596, C Miller 550

p/kg: K Huck 118.5, S Booker 98.5, C Miller 89.5

Lambs were a good trade today, up 3p/kg on the week with an overall average of 165.6p/kg or £71.57 per head, this average is for every lamb in the market regardless of breed or weight. Don’t be misled when comparing averages online, the Standard Quality Quotation (SQQ) that some report as their market average only includes the lambs up to and including 45.5kg and so doesn’t include the heavies, so for comparison, the SQQ at Skipton today was 171.1p/kg.

Although it was Christmas Show & Sale yesterday (Sunday) there were still some excellent runs of lambs in today with James & Simon Garth, Kath Saffrey and Paul Simpson all breaking the £100 barrier. Heavy lambs easily upkept last weeks rates, whilst a commercial lamb was generally slightly dearer on the week. Mule lambs were 2pkg back on the week, whilst a decent horned lamb was a shade dearer.

In the ewe section we held our Christmas show today and judging was carried out by Mr Paul Harrison. His choice as champions came from Ken and Hazel Gamble of Easingwold later backing his judgement by purchasing the Texel cross ewes for £119.50 each. The Cull ewe average was up on the week and this showed a general hardening of trade.

Prime Lambs  – Overall Average  £71.57 per head or 165.63p/kg (SQQ 171.1p/kg)          

32.1kg to 35.9kg                 to 182.4p/kg         av 139.2p/kg         or £47.66 per head

36.0kg to 45.5kg                 to 273.7p/kg         av 172.58p/kg      or £71.29 per head

45.6kg to 52.0kg                 to 256.4p/kg         av 156.99p/kg      or £74.96 per head

52.1kg and over   to 214.3p/kg         av 143.59p/kg      or £75.58 per head

Beltex average £88.13 per head or 221.28p/kg

£ per head: £106 James Garth & Son; £104 PW Simpson; £104 James Garth & Son; £102 PW Simpson; £102 K Saffrey

p/kg: 273.7p PW Simpson; 256.4p James Garth & Son; 255.3p PW Simpson; 250p PW Simpson 250p Ellis Bros

Suffolk average £71.95 per head or 154.7p/kg

£ per head: £83 AL Thompson; £80 TH Mellin; £77 AL Thompson; £75 B&K Wellock; £75 TH Mellin; £75 Ashfield Farms

p/kg:173.3p C&GA Guy; 168.6p NM Hugill; 167.4p CD&RF Kitching; 166.7p B&K Wellock; 164.4p TR Thwaite & Son

Texel average £71.25 per head or 164.46p/kg

£ per head: £103 PW Simpson; £95 JJ&D Cowking; £94 MR Davis; £87 WAVJ&JA Towler; £87 H Smith

p/kg: 220.9p JJ&D Cowking; 208.9p MR Davis; 207.9p RM Crabtree; 207.1p WAVJ&JA Towler; 206p PW Simpson;

Mule average £65.03 per head or 150.2p/kg

£ per head: £71 JH Throup; £70 JH Throup; £70x3 JH & J Ryder & Sons; £69 DW&CJ Towler; £69 M Ryder & Sons

p/kg: 161p, 158.3p H Horsfield & Sons; 157.5p AJ Mason; 157.3p PL Metcalfe; 154.9p H Horsfield &Sons; 154.7p M Burrill

Charollais average £72.81 per head or 165.18p/kg

£ per head: £75.50 PL Metcalfe; £74 R Emmott; £72, £70 RJ Umpleby; £70 N Speake

p/kg:175.6p PL Metcalfe; 175p RJ Umpleby; 156p RJ Umpleby; 151p R Emmott; 145.8p N Speake

Lleyn average £70.67 per head or 155.26p/kg

£ per head: £71.50 CD&RF Kitching; £70.50 G&A Fort; £70 RG&SJ Paul; £70x2 G&A Fort

p/kg: 162.5p CD&RF Kitching; 159.1p G&A Fort; 155.6p RG&SJ Paul; 148.9p, 146.9p G&A Fort

Swaledale average £52.83 per head or 135.8p/kg

£ per head: £67 K Huck; £65 JR Smith; £60.50 JR Smith; £58.50 T Atkins; £58 S&D Robinson; £58 K Huck; £57 JR Smith;

p/kg: 151.3p JR Smith; 148.6p JR Smith; 144.4p JR Smith; 141.5p S&D Robinson; 141.5p, 139.6p K Huck

Dalesbred average £52.18 per head or 135.1p/kg

£ per head: £60, £45.50 JA Stoney & Son;

p/kg: 139.5p, 130p JA Stoney & Son

Cull Ewes average £52.22

Suffolk to £59.50, Texel to £119.50, BFL to £78.50, Mule to £67.50, Lleyn to £63.50, Swaledale to £43.50, Herdwick to £54.50, Beltex  to £99.50, Lonk  to £58.50.

Top prices:

Lowland: £119.50, £110.50 KW Gamble; £105.50 GH&G Emmott; £99.50 AM&HV Brown

Mule/Masham: £67.50 GT Booth; £58.50 RL Wright & Sons; £57.50 GB Moorhouse;  

Horned: £58.50 SP&VM Morris; £43.50 P Addyman & Son; £41.50 AL Dean & Sons

Hill: £63.50 RG&SJ Paul; £56.50, £53.50 DC Wood;  

Cast Rams average £76

Texel to £105.50 W Mason & Son; BFL to £78.50 W Mason & Sons; Beltex to £64.50 JA&JH Hewetson;

Rearing Calves to £660 (91)

B&W av £81.42 Cont av £369.43 Native av £221.65

A superb show of calves met by a strong trade with a number of high prices right through the sale. The Christmas presale show was kindly judged by ringside regular Paul Drinkall and found a fine British Blue bull calf from Shaun and Peter Sowray to be champion and went on to be the day’s top price at £660 with another noted price of £600 for the first calf in the ring. With strong prices made by other regular vendors helping British Blue bulls to an average of £434.17 and Continental average of £369.43.

Natives were also good to sell today with heifers chased particularly hard by farmer buyers with bulls not far behind and averaging a respectable £221.65 right through for Angus, Hereford and Shorthorns.

The best black and whites were good to sell with PA Whittaker of Stortiths selling his Friesian bull to £230 and most middle of the road sorts nicely into £70-£80 with shelly goods around £40- £50. 

Principle Prices: £660, £600, £560, £440 A Sowray & Son; £520, £510, £500, £480, £460, £430, £430, £395, £355 Church Farm Enterprises: £380, £370, £350 MP Jennings.

Bull Calves

Limousin x (Av £282) to £330 RD Metcalfe & Son, Brearton                     

Brit Blue x (Av £434) to £660 A Sowray & Son, Bishop Thornton                             

Shorthorn x (Av £175) to £180 A Lawson & Son, Arthington                                                   

Aberdeen Angus (Av £219) to £250 JP&KE Hartley, Bolton Abbey

Hereford X (Av £175) to £200 K&M Berry & Son, Thornton In Craven                                   

Black & White (Av £81.42) to £230 P&A Whittaker, Bolton Abbey                         

Heifer Calves                       

Limousin x (Av £285) to £300 JC Marshall & Son, West End                      

Brit Blue x (Av £325.3) to £420 Church Farm Enterprises, Burton Leonard                          

Aberdeen Angus (Av £268.33) to £300 JP&KE Hartley, Bolton Abbey                                                    

Hereford x to £256.67 to £295 K&M Berry & Son, Thornton in Craven