Leek market

TUESDAY, MAY 5

ANOTHER busy May Tuesday, with the anticipated dairy herd dispersal on behalf of M & SJ Lomas, Flagg selling to £1770, with commercials to £1800.

A good show of barren cows, with some good quality sorts forward selling to 152p/ kg, and averaging 103p/kg including plenty of plainer black & white’s. Clean sold to 180p/kg or £935.25.

A fast trade for Spring Lambs with prices up on the week and topping at 316p/kg, with less hoggs about selling to 230p/kg and ewes to £111.

Calves continue to sell on a strong trade, with very good demand for stock, selling to £345 for a British Blue bull calf and heifers to £275 for a Limousin.

Unfortunately a few less pigs about this Tuesday, but trade remains a constant, selling to 168p/kg for bacon pigs and 139/ kg for cutters.

BARREN COWS (50);

Selling time – 10:00am

Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

A good entry again this week, but trade very similar to last week. Top price of 152p/ kg for a 610kg Stabiliser from R Belfield, Upper Hulme, with a 575kg Limousin cow at 138p/kg from AH & T Carr, Waterfall

and a 680kg Simmental at 137p/kg from J M Robinson, Swythamley and a 720kg Charolais cow at 137p/kg from C & EJ Whilock, Werrington.

Overall average 103.33p/kg or £644.16/ head.

Top price of £986.40 for the Charolais cow from C & EJ Whilock, with Holsteins to £940.80 and Simmentals at £931.60.

CLEAN CATTLE (9);

Selling time – 10:45am approx.

Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894)

A small entry on Tuesday selling to 180p/ kg for a 485kg Limousin from M G Butler, Bagnall to gross £873.

A run of five 560 - 640kg black & white bulls sold to 153p/kg, 145p/kg, 142p/kg, 140p/kg and 139p/kg for J E Archer & Sons, Hilton to gross £935.25 (top price).

DAIRIES (171);

Selling time – 11:30am

Auctioneers – Meg Elliott (07967 007049) & Mark Elliott (07973 673092)

Another excellent days trading in the Dairy ring at Leek that included the herd dispersal on behalf of the Lomas family of Flagg.

The commercial trade remains solid despite the unsettling situation, with a heifer from regular vendor John Hollingworth topping the day at £1800.

The average for all was slightly up on last week at £1316 but as you can see remains consistent.

There was plenty of interest in the herd dispersal and thanks to all buyers that adhered to the registering system.

Trade was excellent throughout for all categories with the milking portion topped at £1770 for a dry cow due in June with it’s third. Many in that £1700 bracket to average £1205.

In-calf heifers topped at £1700, bullers to £730 and young calves to £375. Every single life in the sale averaged a pleasing £1016.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have stock to sell. We have numerous new instructions, the details of which will be released soon. Watch this space!

PIGS (83);

Selling time – 9:15am

Auctioneer – Graham Watkins (07976 370894). Trade similar to last week, but a lot less forward.

Pork pigs topped at 126p/kg for 62kg pigs from I G Foster who also sold porkers at 122p/kg and 112p/kg.

Cutting pigs topped at 139p/kg twice for 85kg pigs from J & B Fentem, Alsop en le Dale, with others for 128p/kg for 79.2kg pigs from GR Worsey, Cubley and 122p/kg for 80kg pigs from the Fentems.

Bacon pigs topped at 168p/kg for 86kg pigs from PF & PD Parsons, Whitchurch. Other prices include 142pkg for 98kg pigs from the Fentems, and 138p/kg and 137p/ kg for pigs from the Parsons. Bernard Minshull, Buxton sold bacon pigs at 137p/

kg and 136p/kg twice.

Heavy pigs sold to 121p/kg for 107kg pigs from J & B Fentem, with a 106kg pig at 110p/kg for B Minshull.

Cull sows to 66p/kg for 260kg and 285kg sow from MC & EA Beattie, Allostock, with another at 63p/kg.

SHEEP SECTION;

Selling time 11:00am

Auctioneer – Robert Watkins (07929 946652)

SPRING LAMBS (187);

A reasonable entry for early in the season sold on a very fast trade, with demand outstripping supply completely and prices beyond expectations throughout. Best on offer sold to 316p/kg, with a huge proportion being at or close to 300p.

The overall average of 275p is not a true reflection of trade, as it included a number of ‘rare breed’ and out of spec types. Top Headage of £129.60

BUTCHERS HOGGETS (181);

Less than half of our usual entry indicating numbers are starting to dry up. Trade firmer on the week with numbers going shorter nationally, particularly for the heavy well meated types, which saw a 15-20p rise on the week. Best on offer selling to 230p, but heavy types looking better sold to top at 222p and overweights at 220p. Top headage of £123.20.

CULL SHEEP (137);

A similar entry saw a generally similar trade.