Mart marks 20 years with sales success

Skipton Auction Mart moved to its present Gargrave Road site two decades ago and could not have marked the occasion with more success with a total of 5,209 sheep sold, with the average price up 4p per kilo on the week.

In addition, 74 prime cattle and 79 rearing calves passed through the sales rings.

However, it was Tuesday's opening show and sale of 6,000 Mule gimmer lambs from members of the North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) that attracted the most attention.

The NEMSA sale is traditionally one of the biggest sheep days of the year at Skipton.

Ashley Caton, of Otterburn, exhibited both the champion pens of 10 and 20 lambs in the lamb show and sale.

There was total clearance of the 6,000-plus gimmer lambs forward, which sold at an overall average price of 91.79 per head, nigh on 20 a head higher than the corresponding fixture in 2009.

In the 20s class, there were joint top prices of 145 per head for the second prize pen from 2009 champions Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, and the third prize pen from David and Robin Booth, of WA & A Booth, Austwick.

Skipton Auction Mart has long been recognised as the UK's leading venue for Mule sheep sales and the Skipton branch of NEMSA has been staging its twice-yearly gimmer lamb fixtures for 26 years.

Chairman Jeff Throup, of Silsden Moor, said: "It was a tremendous sale with exceptional quality. Trade was better than expected."

The day was the first true test for Skipton's new electronic identification (EID) equipment, which, the mart reports, performed its task well.

The NEMSA sale was followed on the Wednesday by an anniversary sale of store lambs, including a prize show for Masham Wethers.

Skipton Auction Mart's livestock sales manager and auctioneer Ted Ogden said: "In effect, the big NEMSA sales replicate a pedigree society fixture, where all lambs presented for sale are guaranteed to be from the correct parentage.

"This is a Blue-Faced Leicester ram crossed with either a Swaledale or Scottish Blackfaced ewe. Only horned breeds qualify to be North of England Mule lambs and the two Skipton sales are solely for NEMSA members."

The mart also hosted the breed championship of the Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Breeders Association on September 4, with the breed championship awarded to the Elliott family of Knaresborough, for a shearling ram from their Providence flock.

Judge Jim Thompson, Welsh-based chairman of the association, selected the ram, which won three trophies in total, and went on to achieve the highest sale price of the day at 360 guineas.

CW 11/9/10