Tim Robinson clinches first Skipton prime lamb title
Red Rose sheep farmer Tim Robinson won his first-ever prime lamb championship at Skipton Auction Mart at the May Day bank holiday Monday show.
Mr Robinson, of Springs Farm, Dillworth Bottom, Longridge, who has a flock of 600 sheep, clinched victory with a pair of home-bred 41kg Texel-cross lambs, which were awarded the title by show judge Paul Watson, of Hellifield, who then backed his judgement when purchasing the pair for £130 each, top price in show.
Multiple Skipton prize winner,
Mark Evans, of Tower Gate Farm, Steeton, was reserve champion with a brace of
44kg Suffolk-cross lambs, which headed the class prices at £124 per head when
selling to wholesalers Hartshead Meats in Mossley, Oldham.
The same buyers also snapped
up the second and third prize 37kg and 34kg Continental pairs from multiple
Skipton prime lamb champion Robert Towers, of Farleton, Lancaster, at £112 and
£91 per head respectively.
Derbyshire vendor Steve
Buckley, of Buxton, was responsible for both the second and third prize
Down-cross pairs, the 44kg runners-up joining Riley's Butchers in Love Clough, Rossendale - they also have their own abattoir in
Dunnockshaw, Burnley – for £96 each. The third prize 52kg pair sold for £119
per head to Kendalls Farm Butchers for its shops in Pateley Bridge and
Harrogate.
Spring lambs accounted for 172
of the turnout of 2,094 prime sheep, which were among a massive total of 4,634
sheep sold on a hectic day. Springers sold to an overall average of £99.06 per
head, or 244.4p/kg.
The 1,508 old season lambs
were slightly cheaper on the week, as quality and demand falls off a tad late
in the season, though anything well finished met with a nice trade. They
achieved an overall average of £82.99 per head, or 191.1p/kg. Jimmy
Baines, of Trawden, again had the top price pen with Texels sold at £108 per
head.
Trade for cast sheep – 414 in
total - remained buoyant, with cull ewes averaging £74.59 per head and selling
to a high of £150.50 per head for a Texel pen from Silsden Moor’s Simon
Bennett. The cast ram selling average was £93.58 per head, peaking at £124.50
for another Texel from Silsden’s A&SL Throup.