Market Prices

Finished Sheep – 1080 Sold: This week saw a small but similar entry to last week with less of the best meated lambs on offer, but those vendors who did make the journey with some of these best end lambs were certainly rewarded. Saying this, there was also a smaller percentage of lean lambs on offer which in turn will have helped to bring the average price per kilo up from last week. The majority of lambs traded around the 150p per kg mark with the top end up to 169p from Mrs C Worley and Mrs V E Link and top price per head was £ 88 for some very heavy lambs from Mr C George. Cull Ewes and Rams – 1083 Sold: A large entry of ewes this week with over 1000 penned and once again a huge percentage of the entry were lean, grazing sorts that were purchased to be farmed on as opposed to being slaughtered. The top end fleshed sold at a similar level to last very good prices for well bred rams produced principally by the breeders of Texels supporting the South East Texels Groups annual show and sale. In the show ring Blackmore Farm Ptnrs, Ditchling ( Bill and Sarah Baldock) produced the open champion and PH & P E Skinner, Sissinghurst the recorded champion and reserve champion. Finished Cattle – 106 Sold including 3 bulls: An increased entry of over 100 cattle met a similar trade on the week with 10 buyers ensuring competitive returns throughout. A few more smart continental cross beef bred sorts were offered selling around 210p per kg with the top prices including a Limousin cross heifers grossing £1293 (214.5p) from W S Furnival ( Brookland), £1278 (213.5p) from S Marsh and £1136 (214.5p) from W Alexander ( Shoreham). Limousin cross steers made £1267 (196.5p) and £1192 (209.5p) from L J Osbourne & Son. purchased by G H Dean & Co at £ 92 and £ 81 per head. Other top prices included £79.50 from H J Hecks & Son, £78 from W J Hurley, £77 from E &M E Brundrett, £74.20 from R Price & Son and £72 from C S Wills Trust. The overall average of £ 65.50 was some £14.50 per head back of the exceptional price achieved last year. Show results were 1st D Howard Farms, Brede making £ 92 and bought by G H Dean & Co, Sittingbourne; 2nd H J Hecks & Sons, Ringmer making £79.50 and purchased by Andrew Foulds & Ptnrs, Thetford; 3rd W J Hurley, Hythe making £78 and purchased by Stone Farms Ltd, Hythe The store lambs sold at similar trade to recent weeks at an overall average of £ 51.40. Texel crosses topped at £ 59.50 from S Weeks & Sons and Charollais crosses made to £ 55.20 from T Mitchell. Our first ram sale of the season produced some week with the best around the £ 80 mark. Large numbers of grazing sorts found new homes between £35 and £ 60. Top prices on the day included continental ewes to £ 81 from Mrs H V Link, Suffolk crosses from D Clarke Farms to £75 and Romneys from the same vendor to £ 60. Rams made to £ 81 from Harbourne Farms. Store and breeding sheep sale – 7,322 Sold: We penned an increased entry (plus 10%) of Suffolk x Mule ewe lambs for the annual show and sale which was kindly judged by Andrew Foulds, Norfolk. The general trade was very much as expected with the best making around £75, middle of the runs £ 60 to £70 and the majority of small lambs at the end of the runs attracting a price some £ 2 to £ 3 above the store value. Undoubtedly, the run of the day was 400 well bred and grown lambs consigned by D Howard Farms with the top pens of exceptional quality