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PRIME LAMB PRESS - MONDAY 7TH JANUARY 2019

CCM Skipton New Year primestock trade opens on a high note The opening primestock shows and sales of 2019 at Skipton Auction Mart produced strong entries and solid trade across all classes. (Monday, Jan 7) There was a local championship success in the prime lamb exhibition arena for the Ellis Bros farming partnership from Cragg House Farm, Addingham Moorside.




Represented by Rob Ellis, the family’s title-winning pen of five 44kg Beltex-cross lambs, a mix of pure and three-quarter breds by Airyolland, Borderesk and home-bred tups, caught the eye of show judge George Cropper Jnr, who runs Sandersons Butchers in Manchester Road, Baxenden. He then transferred his interest to the ringside when claiming his chosen victors for the day’s top call of £142per head, or 322.7p/kg.
Standing reserve champion was the second prize pen of 44kg Beltex-cross from Seth Blakey, of Bolton-by-Bowland, shown by his girlfriend Charlotte Townson. They sold for £117 each to Kitson & Sons Butchers for its four north-east shops.
The Suffolk show class won by John and Claire Wright, of Airton, with a 53kg pen claimed for a section-topping £95 per head by regular buyer Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, who also paid £88 for the third prize 46kg pen from Newark’s Steve Dorey. The same vendor also stepped up with the second prize 44kg pen, sold for £85 to John Bowling, of Ashton-in-Makerfield.
The Ryder family, from Long Liberty Farm, Haverah Park, Harrogate, won the Mules show class with a 47kg pen claimed by Nick Dalby, of Darley, at £85.50, while the first prize pen of horned lambs, 42kg Lonks from Jimmy Greenwood, of Addingham, made £81 when joining Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop & Restaurant.
A solid opening New Year entry of 3,311 prime sheep sold to another sound trade, with the 2,910 prime lambs in the mix achieving an overall average of £84.94 per head, or 199.54p/kg. Aside from the champion pen, the remainder of the best end sold from 240-275p, the next grade of Beltex at 220-240p.
Handy weight commercial lambs were a good trade, with the 38kg-42kg weight range mainly trading from 205-225p, with odd pens of plainer bred sorts around 200p. Heavier 46-48kg commercial lambs were also good to sell from £88 to £100, this weight range averaging £91.46.
Hill-bred lambs appeared in large numbers, as more horned wethers and tup lambs now come forward for sale. The Mules were a very fast trade, selling to a top of 189p/kg and a joint section high of £87 per head for a pen from NEMSA chairman Kevin Wilson, of Blubberhouses. The overall Mule average was 180.3p/kg, while horned lambs saw the better end trade around 170-180p/kg.
 
A good entry of 401 cast sheep was keenly contested by a very busy ringside of buyers, and an overall cull ewe selling average of £65.50 was recorded, topping at £135.50 for Texel ewes from Geoff and Margaret Booth, of Lothersdale.  Cast rams averaged £73.50.