At Borderway Mart, Carlisle on Monday 2nd April, Harrison & Hetherington held their weekly sale of prime cattle and sheep where the Easter bank holiday brought a smaller show of 190 cast cows, bulls and prime cattle were forward, with 1624 prime hoggs and spring lambs.
Cast Cows & OTM Cattle A smaller show of 144 cast cows were forward on Monday with beef cows being slightly less on the week however black and white cows would be sharper.
M/s Gibb, Jubilee Buildings sold outstanding pure blonde cows which topped at 936kg, 181.5p, £1698 bought by Alan Jarvis for M/s Worsley.
M/s Wilson, Hardrigg Hall sold a Holstein x cow for 684kg, 166.5p, £1132 to Sean McGimpsey. M/s Brown, Lane End Farm sold a Holstein x cow for 842kg, 133.5p, £1124 to Dawn Meats. M/s Horsley, Whitrigg House sold a Holstein x for 873kg, 128.5p, £1121 also to Dawn Meats. Mr Steven Peile, Parkgate Hall sold a Friesian for 149.5p.
Prime Bulls – Fewer bulls on offer seeing a dearer trade for all classes, top overall of £1613 was achieved by Messrs Twentyman, Osbourne, Wigton and purchased by Charles Kirkpatrick, Lockerbie. Charolais to £1472 for Messrs McClanachan, Millhill Farm, Lockerbie. Aberdeen Angus to £1460 for Messrs McSporran,Eilean Farm,Innerleithen. Top overall pence per kilo of 238.5p was achieved by Messrs Twentyman, Osbourne, Wigton with a Limousin cross and 229.5p for another from Messrs Little, Greenhill, Wigton. Black and White’s saw a day’s top of £1387 from Messrs Prudham, Whitefield, Brampton purchased by Jewitt Meats, Spennymoor.
Prime Cattle – A smaller entry of prime steers and heifers resulting in a day’s top of £1670 for a British Blue cross steer from Messrs JC & D Nicholson, Gill Farm, Carlisle. Limousins sold to £1623 for Messrs Bowe, Bothel Parks, Wigton and Messrs JC & D Nicholson, Gill Farm sold another to £1610 all purchased by Pioneer Foods, Carlisle. Top overall pence per kilo was 239.5p for a Limousin cross steer for Messrs Miller, High Aketon, Wigton and the same vendor sold another to 235.5p. Many more of all classes could have been sold to vendor’s advantage with an increasing demand for primestock cattle.
Prime Hoggs – All classes of prime sheep were a flying trade leaving vendors delighted with hoggs averaging 249.36p or £110.25 per head.
The sale topped at £138.80 on four occasions, for 2 pens of Dutch Texel hoggs from M/s Urwin, Hill House, Kirklinton and 2 pens from M/s Hornsby, The Stackyard, Wigton.
Beltex hoggs topped the market per kilo at 352.2p for 36kg hoggs from M/s Little, The Guards, Ireby who’s run averaged 40kg, 324.5ppk, £129.80 a head, all purchased by Michael Lomax.
Suffolk hoggs sold to £136.30 for a pen of 24 from M/s Hutton, Fern House, Cotehill, and to 261.3p form M/s Fisher, Smalmstown.
Hill hoggs sold to £120.30 for 3 pens of Blackies from M/s Fisher, Smalmstown and to 267.3p for a further two pens form the same home.
Ewes sold to a top of £157.50 for Suffolk’s from JR Irving, Hilltop, Hawksdale.