Critchleys retain monthly prime cattle championship at CCM Skipton
An excellent and high quality turnout of 27 under 30-month clean cattle for Skipton Auction Mart’s July prime show and sale saw the Critchley beef farming family from Hutton, Preston, repeat their championship-winning success of the previous month with a 545kg Limousin-cross heifer. (Monday, July 1)
Bought in and further improved on the farm, as in June the title winner again fell to Alan Beecroft, of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop and Restaurant in Lancaster for 258.5p/kg, or £1,409. It was among a six-strong tally for the regular Red Rose buyer.
Also taking home six was another weekly retail butcher buyer, James Robertshaw, among them the reserve champion, the first prize 590kg Limousin-cross steer consigned by John Mellin, of Long Preston, which made 239.5p/kg, or £1,413.
This was one of four purchases for Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton, with the same buyer also taking home two for his own Robertshaws Farm Shop in Thornton.
Top gross price of £1,423, or 247.5p/kg, fell to a 575kg Limousin-cross heifer from Threshfield’s Charles and Richard Kitching, with the Critchleys again chipping in with the top price per kilo entry, a 510kg British Blue-cross sold for 259.5p/kg. Both were among Countrystyle’s purchases,
With cattle spread around eight buyers, trade was firm. Other butcher buyers were Skipton-based Stanforths with three, a brace for George Cropper Jnr for his Sandersons Butchers in Baxenden, and one each for Queensbury’s Charlie Clough and Halifax’s Gerald Medcalf. Show judge was Trevor Stoney, of Pateley Bridge.
Trade for 15 cull cows remained strong, with dairies selling up to 118.5p/kg, or £865, for a black and white from John Rushton, of Elslack, and lean cows still comparatively well sold, producing an overall section average of £684.17, or 101.16p/kg.