Thackray porkers champions at CCM Skipton Christmas highlight
Daniel Thackray, of Prospect House Farm, Fewston, won the prime pigs championship for the first time at Skipton Auction Mart’s 11th annual Christmas primestock shows and sales. (Sun, Nov 25)
He secured the title with his first prize trio of 87.3kg home-bred Pietrain-cross gilts, the pick of a litter of ten from a Large White sow. The victors were claimed for £5 per kilo, or £436.50 head, a total outlay £1,039.50, by retail butcher Anthony Kitson. It was a new record high price for pigs at the Christmas highlight, also believed to be the most paid for prime porkers anywhere in the UK this year.
They will be prepared specially for the Christmas trade for Kitson & Sons Butchers four north-east shops - the latest Five Houses Farm Shop and Kitchen in Crathorne, along with established retail butchers shops in Northallerton, Stockton-on-Tees, and Hutton Rudby.
Mr Thackray has been breeding pigs for six years, keeping just ten sows. Others successes in the exhibition arena include a best local pig and most points in show coup at Nidderdale Show in Pateley Bridge, along with second and fourth prizes at the Great Yorkshire.
Matthew Bamforth, who trades as JG Bamforth & Son at Heyknowle Farm, Slaithwaite, narrowly failed to rattle up a fifth successive Christmas championship when finishing reserve champion this year with his first prize trio of home-bred 98kg Pietrain-cross trio, by a White Maxgrow boar. They sold for 150p/kg, or £147 each, to Stephen Taylor, of William Taylor & Son in Bamber Bridge.
Mr Bamforth was also responsible for the second prize 80kg Pietrain-cross trio, which made 128p/kg, or £102.40 per head, when falling to to Anthony Swales for his Knavesmire Butchers shop in Albermarle Road, York.
The third prize 70.3kg trio from regular vendor, 18-year-old Louise Findlay, of Coverdale, sold for 150p/kg, or £105.45 per head, to show judge Simon Barker, of Skipton-based Stanforths Butchers, who also runs the CCM Quality Foods meat production unit at the mart
A great show of 29 prime pigs sold to six different retail outfits at an overall average of £162.60 per head, or 196.8p/kg.