Farmers complete lamb champion show hat-trick

Their pen of five pure-bred 50kg Beltex lambs sold for the day's top price of 100 per head – to Yorkshire Halal Meat Supplies for their supermarket in Alice Street, Keighley.

Brian Lund of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, produced the first and second prize pens of Suffolks, both sold to Andrew Atkinson, Kettlesing, who also purchased the top Mule and Masham lambs, from Robert Crisp, Calton, and the best horned lambs, Swaledales, from Roy Nelson, Bordley.

Average for 2,811 prime lambs was 69.14 per head (165.62p/kg).

The opening show for prime beef saw a Bazadaise-x heifer from Jimmy Baines, of Gisburn and Trawden, sold to Richard Binns of Saltaire for 1,229 (221.5p/kg). Prime heifers averaged 154.15p.

The mart year started on January 3 with a rearing calf show and sale. The title and best price (340) went to a British Blue heifer calf from A Sowray & Son of Bishop Thornton, Harrogate. Calf sales will continue on the first Monday each month, in response to demand.

At the first Craven Dairy Auction, on the same day, North Yorkshire dairy farmers M Baul & Partners of Bishop Thornton sold a newly-calven Holstein Friesian heifer for 1,750 to A Sowray & Son.

CW 8/1/11