Mule trade: Hawes up 90p, Cumbrian trade lifts
Mule sales in northern England have looked up on the year generally, while a mixed picture has been seen into Scotland.
Hawes mules up 90p
A bigger yarding saw trade lift 90p to average £100.13 at Hawes this week (11-12 September) as 25,260 mule gimmer lambs went under the hammer.
Monday’s sale hit a top of £380 from G and HR Shields and averaged £99.44 while Tuesday topped at £620 to average £100.88, with the leading pen from M/S Lord, North Stainmore.
Monday’s show winners from the Allans of Appleby © Wayne Hutchinson
Monday’s show was won by S Allan and Son, Appleby, with a pen that made £250, while Granville Fairburn, Thornton Steward, won Tuesday’s RA Fawcett cup, with a pen that made £320.
An extra 850 lambs were sold, with other highlights being £420 from NC Marston, Cockermouth, £280 from WA and A Booth and £255 from R and PE Hargreaves.
Granville Fairburn won the RA Fawcett cup on Tuesday © Wayne Hutchinson
(Hawes Farmers Auction mart)
Kirkby Stephen NEMSA mules up £2.12
Excellent mule trade saw prices top at £600 and averages lift £2.12 on the year at Kirkby Stephen on Friday (8 September) for an entry of 12,170 mule gimmer lambs.
Overall, 28 pens of lambs sold for over £150 as the sale averaged £103.96.
A pen of ten from Messrs Hutchinson, Redgate, Rookby, topped the mart and won the championship and was knocked down to Graeme Jackson, High Bentham.
West Dowgill saw calls of £300 and £210, Asby Grange saw calls of £260 and £195, Oakhouse hit £220 and £152 and Swathburn and Hightown both hit £200. (Harrison & Hetherington)
A championship win for the Hutchinsons of Redgate
Bentham NEMSA mules up £6.75
A total of 10,991 mule gimmer lambs were dearer on the year at Bentham on Saturday (22 as North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) members saw trade lift £6.75 to £100.76.
Trade topped at £280 with J Huddlestone, Ravenscar and R and PE Hargreaves, Meadow Bank, Barley, while 2,238 in the non-member section averaged £98.24 and were £12.45 dearer on the year.
Taking first prize and £270 was a pen from gw Whitwel, Ltd, Lanshaw Farm, while the Booths of Hartigg took the third prize and £200.
(Richard Turner and Son)
Ambleside fair up £0.90
North Country mules averaged £80.08 and topped at £128 at the annual Ambleside Fair show and sale of 3,463 breeding lambs at J36 on Friday (8 September).
Mule gimmer lambs were mainly runners, with the poor late summer weather limiting growth. Brian Wilson topped trade at £128 and Clegg and Bennett Tongue House saw a £102 call.
Mashams levelled at £73.44, up £6,52 on the year and topped at £90 from DR Law, Crooksbeck. JA Bennett, Middale, sold to £86 and £83. (North West Auctions)
Dingwall Highland Mule averages fall
Highland mule gimmers were back £10 a head on the year to average £126.27 at Dingwall on Monday (11 September) as trade failed to match last year’s exceptional levels.
A gap in trade was seen between stronger and smaller lambs and a few absent bidders were noted for a similar yarding of 5,117 ewe lambs and gimmers, with mule gimmer trade peaking with Mountrich Farm, Dingwall, at £165.
A yarding of 3,615 Highland mule lambs slipped £19.64 on the year to average £83.03 and top at £125 with a pen form Glebe of Deisher, Boat of Garten. (Dingwall and Highland Marts)