Stags of South Molton report a bigger entry of new season lambs again met an expected reduced trade to last week following the large drop on Monday.

The trade has recovered somewhat as the week has progressed and the hope is that it will continue to recover next week.

Overall it was a generally excellent quality entry of lambs and they were a credit to all producers.

Again the best trade was for the 39-43kg lambs and as the lambs get heavier the less they are per kilo.

Top today reaching the three figure mark of £100 twice; the first to 43kg Suffolk crosses from Mr G Mills & Partners Ltd of Witheridge, another super run of over 200 lambs this week, a real credit to the family. The second to 53kg shapely Charollais crosses from Mrs PA Stentiford of Barnstaple.

£99.80 to 42.9kg Charollais crosses from Mr EJ Westaway of Newton Tracey with £99.50 three times; the first to 42.2kg Charollais crosses from Mr WI Thorne & Son of Ashreigney; the second to 43.2kg Charollais crosses from Messrs A & S Hoskin of Bishops Nympton and the third to 42.1kg Charollais crosses from the Mills Family.

£99.20 also a hat trick; the first to 43.4kg Suffolk crosses from Messrs Parsonage Farms of Chulmleigh; the second to 43kg Texel crosses from Messrs Easterbrook & Partners of Yarnscombe and the third to 42.2kg Texel crosses from Messrs White & Tucker of Pennymoor.

£99 to 43kg Charollais crosses again from Mr Westaway with £98.80 twice; the first to 42.5kg Dorset crosses from Messrs FG & LA Nott of Meshaw and the second to 41.5kg Suffolk crosses again from the Mills Family.

£98.50 also twice; the first to 46kg Charollais crosses from Messrs Verny & Cooke of South Molton and the second to another super 41.2kg Charollais pen from the Mills’.

Best pens to 239ppk to 41.2kg Charollais crosses from Mr G Mills & Partners Ltd of Witheridge who had another three pens of 41.-41.5kg Charollais and Suffolk crosses at 238ppk.

237ppk to 40.5kg Texel crosses from Messrs CJ & LM Hill of Yarnscombe with 236ppk five times; the first to 42.2kg Charollais crosses from Mr WI Thorne & Son of Ashreigney with the other four pens to 41-42kg Texel and Charollais crosses from the Mills Family.

235ppk four times; the first to 41.6kg Suffolk crosses again from the Thorne Family; the second to 42.2kg Texel crosses from Messrs White & Tucker of Pennymoor and the third and fourth to 41kg Suffolk and Texel cross pens from Mr J Norman of Shirwell.

233ppk three times; the first to 40.9kg Suffolk crosses from Mr RH Dymond & Son of Croyde; the second to 43kg Suffolk crosses from the Mills Family again and the third to 42.9kg Charollais crosses from Mr EJ Westaway of Newton Tracey.

A smaller show of hoggs as it begins to show signs of them running out.

Again a very mixed entry but a noticeable better trade for the heavier hoggs.

Best trade for the 42-47kg types and buyers not really looking to buy the thicker hoggs.

We are finding more and more scaled hoggs now and these are generally trade £10-15 per head below the clean hoggs.

Top of the day at £111 for a super pen of 72kg Texel crosses from Mr WJ Crocker & Sons of Okehampton whose 67kg pen followed closely at £110.50. £110 to 71kg Charollais crosses from Mrs S May of Ashford with £99.20 to 61.5kg Charollais crosses from Messrs G & P Kivell of Ashreigney.

£99 to 60kg Suffolk crosses from Mr S Stentiford of South Molton with £97.20 twice; the first to 58.4kg Texel crosses from Messrs IFJ & JC Harris of Beaworthy and the second to 58.2kg Charollais crosses again from Messrs Kivell.

£97 twice also; the first to 61kg Texel crosses from Mr R Frankpitt of Chevithorne and the second to 60kg Charollais crosses from Mrs PA Stentiford of Barnstaple.

£96.50 to 48kg Pure Texel from Messrs MC & KD Yeo of Yarnscombe with 50kg Charollais crosses again from the Kivells at £96.

Best pens of hoggs to 208ppk to 43kg Charollais crosses from Mr RD Middleton & Son of Chulmleigh with 207ppk to 44.5kg Texel crosses from Messrs Beer Brothers of Warkleigh.

205ppk to 38.6kg Texel crosses from Messrs Bulworthy Partnership of Rackenford with 204ppk to 36.6kg Charollais crosses from Messrs RG & GK Cowle of Winkleigh.

203ppk to 45.3kg Charollais crosses from Mr SL Parker & Son of Burrington whose 41kg Charollais pen followed closely at 202ppk.

201ppk to 48kg Pure Texels from Messrs MC & KD Yeo of Yarnscombe.

A reduced entry of cull sheep this week and a pretty lack lustre trade.

A high proportion of the entry was thick ewes that are simply not wanted at present.

Some pens of lean ewes look very dear compared to the bigger fat ewes but they are the ones that are wanted currently.

Abattoirs are reporting very low sales, as we are now a week into Ramadan, and families that would usually meet up to eat together in the hours of darkness are now not able to do so due to the lockdown and social distancing regulations.

This has reduced demand considerably causing the prices nationally to drop.

Top today at £110 to a shapely Texel from Messrs S & KA Hamlin of Tiverton with £103 to Suffolk Mules from Mr G Mills & Partners Ltd of Witheridge.

£88 to Suffolk Mules from Messrs D & J Baker of Yarnscombe with £84 to similar ewes from Messrs W & EA Tratt of Honiton.

£82.50 to blackfaces from Mr RS Slape of Chittlehampton with similar sorts from Messrs AW & SA Meikle of Meshaw at £79.50.

£79 to Charollais crosses from Mr G Webster of Umberleigh with £77.50 again to Suffolk Mules from Messrs Tratt.

£77 twice; the first to Texel crosses from Messrs White & Tucker of Pennymoor and the second to Suffolk Mules from Messrs Hamlin.

Similar ewes again from the Mills Family at £76.

Best rams to £96.50 to a Texel from Mr J Cowle of Winkleigh who also had a pair of Charollais’ at £89.