PIGS: Again a much improved trade with short supply forcing trade up again.

Several buyers wanting more quality pigs, especially sows and quality white pigs. No sows on offer for the first time in 50 years!

White bacon gilts topped at a staggering £200, boars made £102, white bacon gilts topped at £114, all weaners averaged £24. More quality pigs wanted.

Weaners White from £17 to £38, Porkers Coloured from £30 to £62, Cutters Coloured from £70 to £88, Bacon White from £92 to £114, Boars from £ - to £102, Bacon Gilts from £132 to £200.

Store cattle - 480: Another superb entry and the trade is no less. Yes, the averages may be slightly back on the previous sale but those first draw cattle have already been sold. On paper the heifers are dearer than the steers averaging 220p/kg and 218p/kg respectively. The best steers all over £1100/head up to a flying £1320/head for a 640kg Charolais and steer from Mr A J Winney, The Birches.

The heifers topped at £1250/head for a pair of Limousin and heifers from M/s Hall, Bidney. Top 20 prices on the steers all in excess of £1100 and £1050 on the heifers. Any amount of buyers forward and once again the smaller they were the dearer they were with a bunch of 4 Charolais and heifers from Mr P Amor, Meadow Farms soaring to 282p/kg (£1000) and a pair of 320kg Limousin and steers from M/s Tutchings, Home Farm making 266p/kg (£850/head). Plenty of men forward looking for cattle, especially as the last spell of

rain has helped the grass situation.

Feeding/stock bulls - 20: A better entry of bulls with those young continental types very sought after topping at £900/head for a 335kg Limousin from Mr E Jenkins, Llwyn Celyn

Farm that topped at 269p/kg. The optimum age range for the feeding bull job is from 6/10 months allowing feeders time to finish them before they reach 16 months old. More of these types are desperately required.

Stock bulls sold to £1400 for a 950kg Hereford bull from Mr A J Winney, The Birches.

Barren cows - 19: A nice entry of barrens sold to a very buoyant trade topping at £1110/head and 159p/kg. All types in excellent demand especially the farm assured meated and well framed types which sold to a premium. Any amount £900/head. More could have easily been sold.

Beef type cows/heifers in or with calves - 56/54: An excellent entry which topped at £1920 for the last lot to be a sold - a Limousin and 3rd calver with her smart steer calf, 6 weeks. The majority on offer were cows including the dispersal of strong black Hereford and cows, 3rd to 9th calvers with their spring born Hereford and calves from M/s E J Langford and Son, Wellington. They sold to £1620, and all from £1220 to £1580. Younger sorts always sell to greatest interest - today we had heifers and calves to £1820 twice, others from £1440 to £1680. Small, plainer sorts from £840 to £1160. A total clearance to average £1376. 2 in-calf heifers at £1020 and £880.