He claimed leading honours with his first prize Continental pen, five home-bred April-born 42kg Beltex-x-Texel lambs, all by Skipton-bought tups. They sold for £128 per head, or 304.8p/kg, to show judge Anthony Swales, buying on behalf of Knavesmire Butchers in York.

In fact, the Albermarle Road shop claimed all three prize-winning Continental pens, paying £133 joint top gross, or 317p top price per kilo, for the second prize and reserve champion 42kg Beltex-x lambs from Ellis Bros on Addingham Moorside, the same gross price for the 47kg third prize pen from Stokesley’s Richard Wood. Also among a total of nine pens, or 27 lambs, heading to Knavesmire Butchers were others from JA Gibson & Son, of Church Fenton, at 283p/kg, or £133 joint top, and 275p/kg, or £121.

A standalone show class for Suffolk-x lambs was won by a 46kg pen from the Beamsley-based Hartley farming partnership, which made £98.50 per head, a price matched by the runners-up from Richard Shepherd, of Bewerley, Pateley Bridge.

Over 3,000 prime sheep were again penned for sale, among them 2,313 Spring lambs, which, outside the show pens, were an easier trade as they didn’t exhibit quite as much meat and contained more first-cross lambs. They were also easier in line with national trends, which is necessary to open up new markets as the volume comes on stream. The overall sale average was £95.80 per head, or 225.9p/kg, 10p up on the year.

Also among the mix were 774 cast sheep, the majority again cull ewes, and while big ewes were in short supply well-bred types were keenly contested, with more lean ewes forward, all selling well to a full ringside of buyers. As a consequence, they were dearer on the week when averaging £92.88.


Kitchings claim top spot again in Skipton prime cattle show
A Yorkshire Dales-bred beef heifer claimed an unprecedented fifth consecutive monthly prime cattle championship for Threshfield brothers Charles and Richard Kitching at Skipton Auction Mart’s August show and sale. (Mon, Aug 2)

Their 595kg red Limousin-x heifer, bred by John Fawcett in nearby Barden and earlier bought out of Skipton, went on to sell for the top per kilo and gross price of 298.5p, or £1,776, to James Robertshaw, of Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton, one of five acquisitions by the regular purchaser, four for himself, the other for Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton.

North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, of Masongill, stood reserve overall with their first prize steer, a 570kg British Blue-x bred by Middleton-in-Teesdale’s John White and sold for 292.5p/kg, or £1,667, to Knavesmire Butchers. York, which took home a trio.

The August prime show, judged by Eldwick’s Mick Etherington, saw an entry of 15 under 30-month retail cattle, accompanied by very good trade, ten making 280p/kg or above, including four at 290p/kg-plus. Steers averaged £1,627 overall and heifers £1,635.