Kington Market, December 8

The fat lamb trade has firmed from the lower levels reported earlier in the week. There was more demand from the buyers in all weight ranges which was good to see. The heavier lambs over 47kg were the more difficult weights to sell due to a large amount of lambs in this weight bracket being sold nationally at present. Lambs in all weight ranges were in better demand. The lighter lambs between 38kg and 43kg sold to premium prices due to less numbers in this weight range. Most of our lambs on the day again would be heavy weights and in excess of 46kg. Good meated lambs sold to premium prices as long as they were not fat.

Lambs: We had an entry of 1298 lambs, which sold on a firmer trade on the week.

The lambs were well competed for by the buyers.

Well meated lambs which were not fat received the best trade.

Good meated lambs sold between £1.70ppk and £1.85ppk.

The heavier lambs sold up to £85 for some 57kg lambs from S Williams and Son and GET Jones.

The SQQ price for the market was £1.71ppk with an average for the whole market ranging from the lightest to the heaviest lambs being £1.66ppk. Again a large percentage of our lambs would be over 46kg and outside the SQQ price. The average price per lamb in the market was a good £76 per head.

Lambs between 32.5kg to 39kg averaged 1.62ppk up to 1.70ppk.

Lambs between 39.1kg to 45.5kg averaged 1.72ppk up to 1.98ppk.

Lambs between 45.6kg to 52kg averaged 1.63ppk up to 1.70ppk.

Lambs over 52kg averaged £1.51ppk up to £1.55ppk.

The champion pen of lambs was awarded to Messrs. Watkins for some 40kg Texel cross lambs which made £80.

The reserve champion pen of lambs was awarded to Alan Layton for some 45kg Texel cross lambs which made £82.

The lambs were kindly judged by Mr. Alan Witcomb of Brecon.

We are fortunate to have excellent buyer support from 7 regular buyers giving excellent competition for the lambs each week.

Cull ewes, tups, wethers, store lambs: There was a good entry of 314 cull and store sheep, which sold to a good trade on the week.

All cull sheep sold to an increased trade on the week with meated ewes being the best sold.

The cull sheep sold to a top of £119 per head for some Suffolk cross ewes from S Williams and Son and averaged a good £60 per head, which includes a large entry of hill and thinner ewes.

Continental ewes averaged £91 per head and sold up to £119 per head.

Mule type's ewes averaged £62 per head and sold up to £75 per head.

Welsh, Speckle and smaller hill type ewes averaged £47 per head and sold up to £58 per head.

Tups averaged £117 per head and sold up to £118.50 per head.

Small store lambs averaged £58 per head and sold up to £61.50 per head.

The champion pen of ewes was awarded to S Williams and Son for some Suffolk cross ewes which made £118.50.

The ewes were kindly judged by Mr. Dennis Beavan of Pac Mecca meats of Birmingham.

We have buyers requiring store lambs and light lambs each week to suffice their orders.

We have buyers for in excess of 3000 lambs and 750 cull sheep per week to meet our buyers' requirements.

McCartneys at Kington, offer an on-farm livestock grading and marketing advice service on a free of charge basis.