A slight slowing in the prime lamb market after New Year has seen prices dip in the first few weeks of January. However, Texel-sired lambs continue to be among the top sellers across the country, with best Texel cross lambs selling well in excess of market averages and cull stock also leading the prices at many markets.
Wooller’s sale last week saw Texel lambs topping the market when trading at £144/head, £142/head twice and £136/head thrice. Cull ewes here, meanwhile, peaked at £245 for Texels, with others to £180.
At Kirby Stephen prices for best Texels hit 361.7p/kg, some 95p (35%) ahead of the overall market average, with other Texels making 324.3p/kg. In the north of Scotland, Thainstone saw Texel crosses to 263.5p/kg, nearly 40p/kg up on the SQQ of 224.7, with Texel culls topping the trade at £219.50.
And it was a similar story at Bentham where cull ewes hit £250 for Texels, while Texel prime lambs sold to 302.9p/kg, nearly 80p/kg ahead of the market average.
