PRIME hoggs - 1373: A very short entry but it is lack of numbers driving the trade to SQQ of 182.5p, overall 178.6p, genuine average, nothing deducted and an average of every sheep sold of £77.98. National average for Wednesday - 179.4p. Heavies to £95, best export to 201.4p, all good export sheep 180p+. Export market driving everything as Euro has firmed to 77.5p which is a further small improvement. Very few sheep available nationwide due to lack of meat after such a wet time. Take advantage of the current trade as it may not be any dearer in April and feed cost to that time will be considerable.

Ewes and lambs - 29 with 47: An entry with ewes in condition and lambs, 3/4 weeks old sold to £172 for 5 Texels and 9 lambs, and doubles from £155 to £160. Ewes with singles to £145 and others from £120 to £140. Total clearance effected.

In-lamb ewes/hoggs - 1189: A record entry of in-lambers sold to a more limited demand with consignments of pure bred Texels topping the sale at £170 for yearlings, others from £145 to £165. Commercial ewes sold to £142 for yearling Suffolk crosses with others from £114 to £130. Among the consignments were a retirement sale of strong bodied North Country Mules in lamb to Charollais rams and due from 17th February. Good interest saw 3 and 4 year olds to £132, with others at £124. 5 and 6 year olds from £98 to £100. Charollais cross Mules from the same farm to £134 for 2 year olds twice, 3’s and 4’s at £116. The large draft of North Country Mule 3’s and 4’s from another farm ranged from £113 to £123. A run of 120 Suffolk cross Mule 2 and 3 year olds sold to £117 for most of the draft with another pen at £108. Other major drafts included Texel and Suffolk crosses sold in flock ages, they made from £88 to £112. Lleyn cross and Texel cross ewes - 3 years and older in good order sold from £80 to £102. The run of Texel and white faced Mules to lamb from 1st March saw toothed ewes from £75 to £92. Older sorts from £43 to £61. 4 drafts of ewes sold as carrying triplets sold to £104 on several occasions for dark and light faced with others from £80 to £100. Ewes lacking condition were always hardest to sell with older hill ewes from £35 to £48.

The entry of 83 in-lamb hoggs included some strong smart Texel cross which sold to £120 with others at £117. Sharp headed Welsh Mules sold at £116. Others were much smaller and sold from £65 to £78. A marvellous clearance considering the extreme cold conditions on the day.

Store hoggs - 3338: Another super entry of hoggs met a fair trade throughout. Still several men keen for hoggs with both a good crowd of local and distant purchasers. Again hoggs with meat and strength in keenest demand, however the smaller lambs would also be slightly dearer on the week as we finally have two dry days together!! The best topped at £77.80 with all strength from £65 to £75.20. Several from £70 to £74.50, however these need strength and meat. Good farming hoggs from £60 to £64.50. Medium keep sorts from £54 to £60 with condition of hoggs becoming more critical as the season goes on. Good headed longer keep sorts from £47 to £53.50. Harder bred and hill types from £38 to £45, very small backward and plain sorts from £32 to £37.50. Native sorts including Shetlands and Herdwicks from £24 to £30.

Ram hoggs met a fast trade throughout with strong sorts to £72. Other bunches of strength from £62 to £68. Smaller sorts from £52 to £60. Hill bred hoggs from £40 to £52 depending on size and condition. Plain hoggs less money and from £35 to £45 depending on frame. A pen of pure Texel ewe hoggs sold to £88.50. However all ewe hoggs have been sold at feeding money.

Rearing/weaned calves - 12: All rearing calves this week with a British Blue cross bull selling to £360 and a Limousin cross out of Friesian to £350. Other continental cross bull calves were smaller selling at £240 and £260. 3 Beef Shorthorn cross bull calves sold from £150 to £160. A small Hereford cross heifer calf sold at £100. A Friesian bull at £50. Early entries for next week to include 12 weaned Hereford cross Friesian steers and heifers 7/9 months from one farm.

Cull ewes - 1151: A reduced entry, but not surprising considering the trade. However it was better than we expected with the best ewes up to £132.50 and another pen close behind at £123.50/head. Fat is a difficult commodity to sell especially compared to the leaner types. The plain hill bred types are still a good trade and don't seem to have had the hit as the stronger types. The rams were a varying trade and very much depended on meat and frame topping at £100/head. At Hereford we have plenty of buyers ensuring plenty of competition throughout.

Average £/head - £59.64/head, Continental £132.50, Suffolks £91.00, North Country Mules £71.00, Welsh Mules £67.00, Speckles £59.00, Welsh £56.50, Cull Rams £100.00, Cull Wethers £88.00.