PRIME hoggs - 1053: Harder work especially on the heavier hoggs as the big numbers come out farther north. SQQ 190p, heavies to £93, £90.50, £90 etc. Best export 211.1p, 210.8p, 210p, 208.2p with all good export sheep averaging £83.90. Lighter sheep in very good demand but numbers dictate trade and a large number of hoggs are coming forward at 55kg+ which is a market of limited demand. More well-finished lighter hoggs wanted.

SPRING lambs - 155: An improved entry of lambs with some bigger weights, SQQ 230p, overall 228.5p, up to £105 for 47kg, lights to 276.6p, standard to 248.5p, mediums to 240p, heavies to 223.4p. Every lamb averaged £91.33, more needed every week.

EWES and LAMBS - 585 and 836 Auctioneer - Michael Evans

An excellent entry with a good selection of both lowland and hill type couples. Trade was better on the best sorts and similar on the others. Top price was £232 for a 3 year old ewe with her 2 fresh shapely lambs from M/s T A Jones who sold another 5 lots from £177 to £226. Couples that caught the eye were a bunch of 21Welsh Mule yearlings with their 30 Suffolk cross lambs. They sold at £176. Generally better doubles ranged from £148 to £175 with strength of lambs always key to value. Younger ewes always in demand and sold to £172 for 2 year olds with 1¾ lambs, others generally had singles and sold from £100 to £161. Several good keeping sorts from £120 to £166 for North Country Mules with 1¾ lambs.

Plainer ewes always hardest to sell with lowlands from £80 to £132. Hill types sold to £106 for a yearling Cheviot with a single. Most were broken mouth hardy ewes and sold from £66 to £82. A few lots of Suffolk cross hoggs with singles sold from £130 to £152. A pen of doubles sold at £148. Virtually a total clearance with an overall average of £122.83/couple, £50.56/life for everything on offer.

Store hoggs - 596: A good entry was met by another excellent company of buyers who despite it being April are still keen to purchase hoggs. Again the strongest and bunches with meat are easiest sold, topping at £78. Other stronger sorts all £70 to £76. Medium term hoggs from £60 to £69.50 depending on condition. Smaller hoggs lacking meat again less money although still look well sold and trading from £37 to £55 depending on strength.

In-lamb/dry ewe hoggs - 100: Section topped at £112 for 2 pens of strong Texel cross hoggs scanned for twins. Some smarter Suffolk cross hoggs on offer and sold to £99 with others depending on strength from £82 to £88. Texel hoggs sold to £95 for shorn hoggs with others from £72 to £94. Total clearance to average £88.80.

Rearing/weaned calves - 26: Chiefly rearing calves this week with 17 on offer selling to £445 for a strong 34 day British Blue cross bull with another from the same farm at £405. 2 smart Blue cross heifers sold at £395 with better Limousin cross heifer calves from £340 to £375.

There were a few smaller calves on offer - they included 3 Hereford cross heifers from £130 to £165. 6 Friesian bull calves from £40 to £50. 9 weaned calves sold to great interest - most were 5½ to 6½ months and good sorts - a Blue cross steer sold at £630, with another at £580. A pair of Blue cross heifers sold to £550 with others from £470 to £525. More rearing and weanling calves could be sold each week.

More calves can be sold each week - please let the office know by 10am on Tuesday prior to the sale if you are bringing calves.

Cull ewes - 2640: The most phenomenal trade with the ewes averaging £81.14 from £19.50 to £147. A lot of well meated ewes forward with excellent competition from start to finish from the leanest to the strongest.

The best continental ewes £115 to £140.50 throughout the day with several £125+. Good lean Suffolk cross and Texel cross ewes from £90 to £110. Fat ewes would be less in comparison but still £90+. Mules very similar on the week from £75 to £90. The very strongest over £90. Export type ewes would be dearer and the best Welsh and Speckles to £80. All strength £70 to £80. Half meat sorts £50 to £65 depending on strength. Plain ewes very dear and the dearest dead by miles with some shockers from £20 to £40.

Rams nearly all £100+ topping at £147. 6 men for the ewes representing over 14 firms providing excellent competition.

Average £/head - £81.14, Continental £140.50, Suffolks £125, North Country Mules £105, Welsh Mules £95, Speckles £81.50, Welsh £78.50, Cull Rams £147, Cull Wethers £85.