Prime hoggetts (1,621): Again a larger entry, slightly more selective with the euro weaker at 89p and bank holidays making export more difficult, but still an excellent trade to 188.2p SSQ and to £90 (212.5p/kg). Top price/head £90 for lambs grading 56kg. Overall average 181.4p/kg.
Store hoggets (304): Another tremendous trade on the entry of 304 store hoggetts. Keen bidding on all better meated types with many from £60 to £78. Even the plainer sorts sold well, mostly from £47 to £59. A total clearance effected.
Ewes & lambs (502): An excellent entry of 502 ewes and lambs sold to a larger crowd of buyers with the top price of £159 for a bunch of 10 three-year-old ewes with their 19 lambs. Throughout the sale, ewes with stronger lambs and younger ewes with their lambs sold to a premium.
Yearlings with 1 1/4 lambs sold to £146 with some others with twins from £125 to £147. Plainer yearlings ranged from £90 to £114. More two and four-year-olds could be sold to advantage. Those with 1 1/2 lambs sold from £112 to £129. Older ewes with stronger lambs topped £137 for twins with others with 1 1/2 lambs from £110 to £135. Older ewes with younger lambs all sold well, with prices from £78 to £100.
More hill-type ewes on offer, all selling to good interest with Speckles with twins from £75 to £100. The few plainer ewes with singles all sold from £42 to £55. Two pens of hoggs with lambs sold to £115 for those with 1 1/2 lambs and a pen of hard bred singles sold at £92. With a total clearance, these numbers can be sold each week.
Cull ewes (747): An excellent trade with the half meated and poorer ewes a tremendous trade, with a top of £115. More ewes needed every week. Overall average £68.69. Suffolks to £115, Continentals to £113.50, North Country mules to £90, Welsh mules to £85, Speckles to £65, Welsh to £63.50. Cull rams to £95. Cull wethers to £88.50.
Spring Lambs (100): Another excellent spring lamb trade with an SQQ of 250.4p to £99. More needed every week. Try to draw lambs under 40kg for best results. SQQ average 250.4p/kg. Top price/head £99 for lambs grading 37.5kg. Overall ave 248.8p/ kg.
Store Cattle (110): A disappointing entry of only 110 store cattle sold to a storming trade, topping at £1,180 for a home-bred Limousin steer aged 27 months. Steers between 20 and 24 months sold from £952 to £1,115 with the strongest topping at 198.9p per kilo for a 23-month-old outlier from a local smallholding and others from 165.0p per kilo.
Younger steers sold to good interest with 13-month-old 3/4 bred Limousins selling to £890 and 16-month-old Limousin crosses to £938. Steers offered in improving condition sold from £480 and reached £600 for Hereford crosses. Simental bulls aged eight/nine months and weighing 310 kgs sold at £600 with Hereford cross bulls weighing 380 kgs selling at £480.
Heifers sold to a top of £935 for Limousin crosses weighing 540kgs, with others from £692 to £900. Younger heifers included a bunch of Hereford cross aged 12/13 months and weighing 370kgs selling at £590 and some 12-month-old Parthonais cross heifers at £540 and £560. Nice heifers sold between 150-174p per kilo.
The entry of 10 beef-type cows in or with calf sold to a top of £1,130 for a five-year-old Limousin with her three-week-old Hereford cross heifer calf. Other cows with a calf at foot ranged from £850 to £1,000. Young in calvers sold to a top price of £960 for a two-year-old Hereford cross heifer, with other cows between £500 and £730. A five-year-old Hereford bull sold at £860. Barren cows saw three well meated Hereford and Limousin crosses selling from £745 to £900. Many more cattle are needed to satisfy demand.
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