Buyers out in force at Skipton for lamb sale

The majority of the 2,546 lambs forward at Skipton came from North Yorkshire, predominantly Craven, supplemented by consignments from West Yorkshire, Lancashire and South Yorkshire. Overall average selling price was £65.68 per head, up £12.13 on the 2010 opening price.

Auctioneer Ted Ogden commented: “It was a great show, helped by recent good grass growth. The strongest end were generally £65 to £74, with medium-keep lambs £57 to £64 and smaller longer-keep lambs £50 to £54.”

Tony England, who is based in Tiverton, Devon, and also farms 2,000 ewes near Edinburgh, buys more than 4,000 lambs a year at Skipton, including many Mules, for his customers in the South.

He said: “They like northern-bred sheep. They are hardy and do well and you can buy them in bigger lots.”

Mr England judged the pre-sale show and awarded the championship to a pen of 50 Beltex-cross lambs from Tom Heseltine, whose family trades as JGE Heseltine & Son at Hesketh Farm, Bolton Abbey. The Heseltines sold their champions for £68 a head to John Bowling, of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan.

A 50-strong Texel-cross pen from James Hall, of Darnbrook, Malhamdale, sold at £71.50 each to Robert Woodward, Catesby, Daventry.

And 50 Suffolk-cross lambs from Michael Parker, of Winterburn, headed the day’s prices at £74.20 apiece to regular Skipton buyer Paul Watson, Hellifield, who also paid £69 a head for Texel-cross lambs from Bear Park Farm, Carperby, Leyburn.

Suffolk-cross lambs averaged £68.52 (£53.40 in 2010), Texel-cross £64.78 (£53.72), Charollais-cross £65.07 (£50.12), Beltex-cross £65.57 and Mule lambs £59.50.

The second annual show and sale of store lambs at Skipton will be on Wednesday, July 27.