Sheep trade has held up strongly over the Easter break, with Greenslade Taylor Hunt reporting a strong demand for hoggets at Sedgemoor yesterday.
Even the heavier end of the hoggs, which have been harder to place in recent months, were in demand.
The best handyweights sold to 241p/kg from M Davey, while heavier hoggs sold to £98.50 and £98 from Mr J Baker, with the overall entry of 837 hoggs averaging £92.69.
Meanwhile, the lamb trade was a shade easier for the 384 new season lambs forward. The best of these sold to 273p/kg for T E Harris, with the best price/head being £116 for lambs from K E Bell. The lambs levelled the day at £98.98
North of the border at St Boswells trade was markedly up on the previous week, with the overall average rising by 13p on last week to settle at 208.3p/kg for 1692 sold.
Best of these on a p/kg basis were Cheviots at 251.3p/kg from Wester Ulston, with South Country Cheviots from Kirklands trading at 241.3p/kg. Topping the sale on a headage basis were Suffolks from Thirlestane at £107.
With shortening numbers of hoggets about and new season lambs not available in any numbers for another few weeks it may well be that the trade lifts a shade more yet.
Cull ewes are still trading at good prices too, with the best of these making up to £145 at St Boswells on Monday for Suffolks and Sedgemoor also seeing the same top price on Saturday. Monday’s offering of 300 at St Boswells saw the average jump by £9.50 to level at £98.70, while the 672 forward at Sedgemoor yielded a tremendous average of £102.21.
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