Leek Market

A stronger trade seen for butchers lambs with 876 forward selling up to 230p/kg and £115/head with an overall average at 200.28p/kg. Ewes selling up to £117. Another excellent trade for dairies. A small selection of clean cattle topped at 206p/kg for a Charolais heifer. A better trade all round for fat pigs. A nice show of calves.

BARREN COWS (40)

A good entry sold on a solid trade up to 145p/kg for a 740kg Simmental cow with Herefords to 140p/kg for a 620kg cow from

J E Watkins, Horton and Charolais to139p/kg for a 775kg cow from John Robotham, Swinscoe.

Other top prices: 138p 720kg Simmental Rushton Spencer Vendor; 135p 805kg Friesian J Brough & Son, Rudyard;128p 920kg Simmental JR Clowes, Ipstones; 128p 725kg Simmental Rushton Spencer Vendor; 127p 695kg Meuse Rhine Issel R Shore, Biddulph; 123p 755kg Charolais C&EJ Whilock, Werrington; 121p 1020kg Hereford FW Kirkham, King Sterndale; 120p 795kg Simmental JR Clowes, Ipstones; 119p 735kg Hereford FW

Kirkham, King Sterndale; 119p 805kg Holstein WE Turnock & Sons, Onecote.

Overall average of 106.26p/ kg or £730.61 per head. Top headage price of £1234.20 for the 1020kg Hereford cow from Frank Kirkham, with Simmentals at £1177.60 and £1073 with Friesians to £1086.75.

CLEAN CATTLE

A small entry sold up to 206p/kg for a 595kg Charolais heifer, and the same vendor sold a 575kg Charolais heifer at 188p/kg, with Reg Critchlow of Grindon received 186p/kg for a 500kg Aberdeen Angus heifer and 170p/ kg for a 475kg Charolais steer.

DAIRIES (68)

An absolutely smashing trade. Heading the day was the Johnson family of Longnor who showed a lovely group of fiver heifers which topped at £1960 to average £1902. Close behind at £1900 was a was a 28kg heifer from John Allan of Tutbury.

Andrew Stone of Onecote saw his three heifers sell to £1870, £1860 and £1800.

Messrs Whittaker of Tabley saw their two heifers reach £1860 and £1800 with an Ayrshire cross heifer from Malcolm Jones making £1820.

Cows topped at £1820 for a British Friesian second calver from Stephen Seabridge of Stone with a fourth calver from Messrs Shepherd of Hassop, Bakewell at £1740.

PIGS (106)

A stronger trade all round.

Pork pigs sold to 104p/kg for a pair of 74kg pigs from J&B Fentem, Alsop en le Dale. Cutting pigs sold up to 132p/ kg for an 82kg pig from Bernard Minshull, Buxton with others to 122p/kg for an 84kg pig from J&B Fentem who sold other cutters at 120p/kg, 108p/kg and 106p/kg twice.

Bacon pigs were particularly sought after selling up to 134p/ kg for 91kg pigs from J&B Fentem with plenty of bacon pigs at 130p/ kg from Bernard Minshull, PF&PD Parsons (three pens) and J&B Fentem (two pens) with plenty 120p and above.

Heavier pigs topped at 113p/kg for a pair of 105kg pigs from David Goldstraw,

Meerbrook who also sold 106kg pigs at 110p/kg. A pen of 13, 25kg pigs from Alan Worth, Marton made £26/head.

Averages: Pork Pigs (2); average 104p/kg or £79.96/head; Cutting Pigs (19); average 108.66p/kg or £88.76/head; Bacon Pigs (64); average 117.57p/kg or £108.09/ headl Heavy Pigs (6); average 103.54p/kg or £115.62/head

BUTCHERS LAMBS (876)

Best lambs very well bid for and many more best types could have been sold to the vendors advantage each week. Best big lambs adding up nicely to £115/ head and plenty over £100.

Overall average a shade over 200p/kg.

Sample prices: 220p 38.4kg Mosley & Son, Wormhill; 215p 39kg Lockett Bull Hire, Heaton; 227p 40.5kg DJ&P Smith,

Rushton Spencer; 225p 42.5kg DB Goldstraw, Meerbrook; 225p 42.5kg A Shaw, Sturston 224p 43kg CC&W Harding, New Chapel; 223p 42kg C Banks, Clayton;

230p 49kg L Berriman, Monyash; 227p 46kg R Tomkinson & Son, Butterton; 218p 52.5kg

D B Goldstraw, Meerbrook.

CULL SHEEP (221)

Trade similar to the previous week. Best Texels selling strong interest to £117 with others at £100-plus. Mules and Texelmules still looking £10 £15 less than a few weeks ago but the same story everywhere. Best rams to £110.

CALVES (129)

A similar entry of 129 calves met a good ring of buyers bidding well for all types and overall trade well up on the previous week.

20 CONTINENTAL BULLS AVERAGE £271.50 (UP £33)

Demand very good for all types and several buyers going short on numbers or even going home with empty trailers. 15 Blues averaged £285 to £390 RP Hill, Knutsford; 2 Simmentals averaged £183 to £270 H&J Smith & Sons, Biddulph; 2 Lims averaged

£278 to £340 Messrs Mellor,

Earl Sterndale; 1 Blonde to £235 EJ&VC Gilman, Buglawton

28 CONTINENTAL HEIFERS AV £184 Demand just as good as the bull calves, especially for

Blue heifers. 21 Blues averaged £196 to £295 J W Handford

& Sons, Aspenshaw; 5 Sims averaged £137 to £200 H&J Smith & Sons, Biddulph; 1 Lims to £190 Messrs Mellor, Earl Sterndale 1 Blonde to £150 EJ & VC Gilman, Buglawton

30 NATIVES

A very smart Angus bull calf from S&J Ryder topped at £325 with plenty of bidders for all categories. Angus Bulls averaged £189 to

£325 S&J Ryder, Dilhorne; Angus heifers averaged £92 to £175 C Jackson & Son, Gawsworth; Hereford Bulls averaged £167 to £215 Robertson Partners; Hereford heifers averaged £120 to £130 Robertson Partners

46 BLACK AND WHITE AND DAIRY-BRED BULLS

More dairy types in but still well bid for with best rearing calves to £120. British Friesians to £120 average £61; Holstein to £115 average £36; Fleckveih to £110 average £64; Shorthorn to £54; Guernsey to £40.

5 Weaned Calves on offer this week saw Angus heifers to £235, Holsteins bulls to £125.