PRIME Hoggs - 1151: The best hoggs are an acceptable trade but some lean and poor quality sheep spoil the overall picture. SQQ 170p, heavies £90 to £85, best export 207.5p to 195.4p with all good export hoggs 175p+. 'Meat is king' so please put on the final coat of paint to finish the hoggs to get the final premium price. More good hoggs needed.

Ewes with lambs - 160/257: A similar trade throughout, quality was generally poorer which reflected in the averages. Top price was £182 for 3 Texel cross ewes with strong doubles. Other best pens of doubles from £165 to £176. Quality always to best interest - overall a range of price from £80 to £148. Ewes with strong singles from £120 to top at £141. Others from £90 to £116. Fewer on offer but nice pens of ewes with 1½ lambs from £148 to £158. Total clearance effected to average £139.61 being £54.06/life.

In-lamb ewes/hoggs - 597: The larger entry included many more hill ewes which again reflected in the price. Top price was £140 for 3 Beltex ewes - 3 years scanned for 1.3 lambs, with Mule ewes mixed ages from yearlings to 3 year old selling to £132 and others £110 to £112. A bunch of 16 strong Texel cross yearlings to lamb from 14th April sold at £132. Other lowland ewes included Suffolk cross Cheviot yearlings scanned for twins at £106. Welsh Mule fours scanned for triplets at £98. Suffolk cross 4 year olds scanned for twins at £100. Suffolk cross full mouth hard bred at £70. Older Texel and Lleyn types from £70 to £95. The entry of 270 Cheviot, Speckle and Welsh ewes, 5 years scanned to Blue Faced Leicester sold to good interest with prices from £50 to £66. Sennybridge Cheviots sold in lamb to Texel and Cheviots sold at £51.

90 hoggs in lamb met only a steady demand selling to £100 for pens of strong Texel cross with smaller sorts to £93.

Rearing/weaned calves - 22: Simply not enough on offer, many looking but going home empty handed. 19 rearing calves on offer which sold to £400 for the first offered - a Limousin cross bull from Mr J E Bennion, closely followed at £390 for the last calf, a Limousin cross bull from Mr W T Edwards. Other continental cross bulls sold at £340 for a British Blue. A run of 5 Hereford cross bulls from 2/8 weeks by a named sire sold to £360 and from £215 to £355. Heifer calves sold to £370 for a Limousin cross with smaller sorts to £285, Blue cross heifers always popular to £300. A run of 6 Hereford cross heifers varied in size and sold well topping at £300, others from £240 to £285. Twins at £85 and £160, Angus cross bulls at £230. 3 young weaned heifers to £540 for a Blonde cross. Limousin cross - 4 months at £380, Blue heifers, 10 weeks at £375. Total clearance, more could be sold each week.

Store hoggs - 1498: A similar number forward found an excellent trade throughout, a good show for the end of February with all sizes meeting with an animated trade. Strongest stores again very well sold topping at £79.80 for smart Beltex cross hoggs. Stronger hoggs from £68 to £73 with hoggs looking very well sold in comparison to the fat ring. A good crowd of purchasers for the farming hoggs with large weekly entries attracting men to Hereford. Farming hoggs sharper on the week from £62 to £67.80. Several bunches £65+. Medium sorts from £57 to £61.80 with level bunches and hoggs with condition easiest sold. Fewer longer keeping sorts than recently however well bred hoggs easy to sell from £52 to £56.50. Smaller and plainer hoggs from £45 to £51.50. Hill bred and smaller harder bred hoggs generally £38 to £47, depending on size and condition. Very small and plain from £30 to £35. Ram hoggs to £70, other stronger sorts £60 to £66, farming ram hoggs from £52 to £59.50, smaller and plainer sorts £40 to £50 depending on condition. Good numbers still required each week with customers still keen to source feeding hoggs. Overall average £55.77.

Cull ewes - 1947: Another excellent entry with an extra purchaser representing a major wholesaler in attendance, making for a competitive trade on all types. Once again best ewes over £100 to a top of £131.50. Cross bred meated ewes generally £70 to £90. Plainer ewes from £40 to £65. Hill ewes very similar, generally £25 to £45. Average slightly lower due to large amount of Welsh and Speckle ewes forward.

Average £/head - £53.83.

Continental £131.50.

Suffolks £96.

North Country Mules £82.50.

Welsh Mules £75.

Speckles £48.50.

Welsh £45.

Cull Rams £110.

Cull Wethers £65.