PRIME Lambs - 1943: A good quality entry with plenty of weight but after last weeks’ ‘bonanza’ the trade was always going to be a little less, but generally quite well accepted. Euro at 85p is static but not as high as a month ago when we reached 91p, which is far better for export. Best export lambs 200.5p and 200p. Heavies £88.20, £88, £86, £85.20, £85. Every lamb from 28.5kg to 62kg, average £74.66/head.

Store lambs - 4518: Numbers continue to come forward although several vendors coming closer to the end as we reach December. A large crowd of men with the Welsh contingent still very strong although local men and Midland feeders also keen for sheep. Stronger lambs topped at £79.20 for a pen of ram lambs. Clean lambs topped at £77.50 for a big bunch of Texel wethers. Stronger bunches trading from £68 to £74. A super run of Suffolk cross Mules from £69.80 to £74. Good farming lambs from £63 to £67.50 with well bred continentals and Suffolks in very keen demand. Medium keeping lambs sharper on the week and generally £57 to £62.50. Like previous weeks plenty of bunches £60 plus. Several Mule wethers - these topped at £67 for strong sorts, other Mules from £57 to £60.80. Longer keeping sorts from £48 to £56. A large run of 250 Welsh wethers from one farm topped at £57.80. Others were smaller farming sorts and from £47 to £52. Longer term sorts then £38 to £45. Well bred longer keeping lambs generally £50 to £56.50. Small and harder bred lambs from £44 to £49.50. Very small and some backward sorts generally £35 to £43. Only very small and poor sorts under £32. Plenty of ram lambs and several men to bid for the strongest to £79.20 and £79. Other stronger sorts from £62 to £68. Well bred farming sorts from £55 to £61.50. Hill bred sorts forward in good number, the strongest of these £50 to £54. Other smaller sorts from £42 to £49.50. Very small and backward sorts £35 to £41.50.

Very few ewe lambs on show, a pen of pure Texels to £100. Other Texel cross Mules to £74 and £69.20. Mules to £68. Smaller sorts from £57 to £63. Speckle ewe lambs from £40 to £55 with customers for all sorts. Overall average £56.55.

Rearing/weaned calves - 57: A better quality entry of both rearing and weaned calves sold to more interest on all sorts. 24 rearing calves sold to £360 for a strong boned Charolais cross bull from Mr L T B Pritchard who sold two other bulls at £340 with a heifer at £310. British Blue crosses always popular and saw 4 bulls from £280 to £330. Heifers £230 to £315. Hereford cross bulls varied in size, prices ranged from £70 to £210. Angus cross bulls - two extremes £50 and £205, strength always adds value. Vendors are advised to get the ear number of native bred sires printed on their passports. The larger entry of 33 weaned calves sold to more interest topping at £570 for a 7 month old pure bred Limousin heifer. Beef bred were a definite premium with 3 and 4 month Limousin and Charolais heifers £470 to £535. Dairy cross heifers regularly sold from £400 to £445 for those from 4/7 months. Bulls sold to £495 for a Hereford cross at 8 months with other crossbred bulls from £410 to £470. Total clearance effected.

Breeding ewes - 273: An entry of breeding ewes all scanned in lamb were shown in good condition. Comprising two main consignments, firstly a flock dispersal brought about by ill health being chiefly Texel and other crossbred ewes sold in flock ages and scanned to Texel rams - they topped at £121, mostly being £93 to £110. The draft of Suffolk cross North Country Mule yearlings scanned (approximately 130%) to Texel cross Charollais rams, due from December 26 sold to £130, generally from £98 to £120. Top price in the section was £135 for a pen of strong Charollais cross ewes, full mouth scanned at over 200% to Texel cross Beltex rams. All ewes were sold with others from £81 to £122, depending on size and scanning counts. In lamb ewes entered for next week, 7th December include Welsh Mules, Suffolk and Texel cross ewes.

Cull ewes - 1576: A reduced entry of ewes with more strength about. In general the ewes would be sharper and a couple of new buyers just helped it. As the ewes steady coming out we now may see the trade firm. The best ewes up to £110/head with those good Suffolks in excess of £90/head. The rams were also a better trade topping at £118/head with several others in excess of £100/head. The top 20 prices on the ewes all in excess of £90/head which gives a clear indication of the better trade we had. Lets hope we see things moving forward from now on in.

Average £/head - £56.73.

Continental £110.

Suffolks £94.50.

North Country Mules £86.

Welsh Mules £77.

Speckles £49.50.

Welsh £56.

Cull Rams £118.

Cull Wethers £80.