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BREEDING SHEEP PRESS - TUESDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2017

Rams in demand at Skipton breeding sheep sale Skipton’ Auction Mart’s latest fortnightly Tuesday sale of 1,513 breeding sheep and rams saw the latter in particular meet a strong trade when achieving 85% clearance, with anything well framed and ready for immediate turn out finding a ready ringside of buyers. (Tues, Oct 10) A strong pen of Texel tups from Procters Farms in Tatham, Lancaster, sold to a sale high of 480gns for a brace of shearlings claimed by Ashley Thwaite, of Hellifield, and Addingham’s Johnny Greenwood. The same vendors also headed the ram lamb prices at 300gns


Blue Faced Leicesters had a good following, with some handy tups selling to 350gns twice for shearlings from Jim Percival, of Haworth, and Threshfield brothers Charles and Richard Kitching. Aged rams topped at 320gns for a Texel from Hayton & Stocks in Bolton Abbey.

In the shearlings class, prices were led by a £142 per head pen from Hunter Oaks Limited in Padiham, with David Carlton, of Newton-in-Bowland, next best with a £115 Lleyn pen. Bordley’s John Lancaster sold Mule and Cheviot pens at £115 and £100 respectively

The day incorporated the annual show for Lleyn gimmer lambs, when West Craven father and son sheep farmers David and David Wood, of Oak Slack Farm, Earby, made a clean sweep of the prizes

Their first prize pen of 12 lambs, chosen by show judge Janet Sheard, of Almondbury, and recipients of the JA Simpson Trophy, were all home-breds by a selection of rams – they run seven in total on their 500-string flock of Lleyn ewes, first established in 2004.

The red rosette winners sold for £48 per head to A Winterburn, of Langho, with the second and third prize pens of 14 and 15 making £45 and £43 per head respectively.