Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 18th November 2025

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs – 1,118 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 383p – D Tilley, Surrey.
Top price per head – £178.50 – T R Holt, East Sussex.

More in the pens this week thankfully, with some real quality on offer again from those who have chosen to finish lambs intensively with concentrate feed. The averages were not quite the dizzy heights of last week, but the middle and heavy weight have retained their improved trade in the 320p-350p per kg price bracket. Top on the day was taken by Mr David Tilley at 383p for some smart lighter lambs but in the lump, top honours was taken by Mr Tom Holt at £178.50 for some very well finished Texel crosses. A super run of well finished lambs from Mr Steve King also sold very favourably with an average of 337p for well-bred lambs with plenty of weight. It pays to present sheep in a dry and empty state these days and this lends itself to achieving the top prices.

30 – £115.00 (383p kg) – D Tilley
36 – £129.50 (360p kg) – P A Reeve
37 – £128.00 (346p kg) – Wey Street Farm
38 – £128.00 (337p kg) – Wey Street Farm
39 – £140.00 (359p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
40 – £145.00 (363p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
41 – £138.00 (337p kg) – Wey Street Farm
42 – £136.00 (324p kg) – Mrs R Vant & J Claringbould
43 – £150.00 (349p kg) – S King
44 – £160.00 (364p kg) – S King
45 – £162.00 (360p kg) – W G Watkins & Sons
46 – £166.00 (361p kg) – S King
47 – £164.00 (349p kg) – S King
48 – £166.00 (346p kg) – S King
49 – £169.00 (345p kg) – S King
50 – £170.50 (341p kg) – S King
51 – £170.00 (333p kg) – S King
52 – £168.50 (324p kg) – T R Holt
54 – £169.00 (313p kg) – S King
58 – £178.50 (308p kg) – T R Holt

Averages (p/kg)

Light 25.6 to 32 kgs – 69 – Top 383, Ave. 358.7
Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 133 – Top 367, Ave. 340.8
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 390 – Top 364, Ave. 317.6
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 391 – Top 361, Ave. 329.5
Others 52.1+ – 115 – Top 360, Ave. 311.0

Cull Sheep – 612 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewe: £155.00 – P Pierson, Kent. – Ave. £113.28.

Larger numbers penned this week with more grazing sorts forward in comparison to last week and few of the very best. Good meat ewes regularly £130 – £150 with top call at £155 going to P Pierson for Charollais, followed by Romneys to £150 from J Langridge. Medium sorts £110 – £130 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £80 – £100 throughout with only very few sold below these figures. Please do inform me of ewes you have to sell in the coming weeks with buyers present every week for all grades.

Top prices included:

Charollais cross to £155 from P Pierson, Romneys to £150 from J Langridge, Texel cross to £147 from H G Tompsett & Sons Ltd, Suffolk cross to £143 from D Tilley, Crossbred to £140 from J J Butcher, Mules to £138 from J A Bridger, Easycare to £133 from J & K Walther.

Cattle Reports

Finished Cattle –  74 Sold
Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A good show of generally well finished cattle met a strong solid trade with buyers prepared to take more cattle in preparation for the Christmas period.
A few more better-bred beef cattle in the entry; fewer natives; and certainly more dairy bred. Buyers are after good cover and this message is well understood by producers with weight no problem around the ring.
Best smart cattle up over 380p with Limousin heifers topping at 398p £2371 from W S Furnival; steer honours at 389p £2350 from DW Ferguson for an Angus steer. Other good runs of handy weight beef bred types from A J Thompson & Sons, W Alexander (Shoreham), R F & E A Simmons and WS Furnival. A terrific run of heavyweight Charolais x Angus from R Haydon & Partners saw steers to 378p £2848, heifers to 383p (2) £2422.
Dairy bred cattle carried good flesh, in general. Limousin x Friesian steers from A J Down to 388p, 382p, 375p £2457, £2377, £2364, their Limousin x Friesian heifer 381p £2093 and Hereford x steers to 370p £2309. Hereford x steers to 359p, 353p, 350p £2361 R C & J L Pickering. Blue x Friesian steers 356p, 349p, 346p £2631, £2512 WF Farms. Blue x Friesian heifers to 355p £2428 P W & P Sim & Son.
Fewer natives this week with the smart bred Angus steer to 389p £2350 from D W Ferguson Ltd; Angus heifers to 384p, 378p £2148 A J Thompson & Sons. Sussex steers to 378p £2133 W S Furnival.
Young Bull (1) A heavyweight two year old Charolais from Highfields Park at 281p £3015.

Top Steers

D W Ferguson Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 389p (£2350)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 388p (£2364)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 386p (£2448)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 385p (£2499)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 382p (£2251)

Top Heifers

W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 399p (£2371)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 398p (£2286)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 396p (£1918)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 385p (£2211)
A J Thompson & Sons – Aberdeen Angus cross – 384p (£2148)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 2 – Top 360p – Ave. 346p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 22 – Top 389p – Ave. 370p
Steers 651 kg + – 11 – Top 378p – Ave. 358p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 7 – Top 396p – Ave. 372p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 19 – Top 398p – Ave. 371p
Heifers 591 kg + – 12 – Top 399p – Ave. 358p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 83 Sold

Another very good entry but with fewer continental cows, and more Sussex cows, met another tremendous trade for all grades. Flesh in short supply but feeding men desperate to secure empty feeding types recognising the shortage we are certain to face in the New Year.
Best Continental feeders pushing well past 350p whilst smart meat cows up around 300p. Older plainer cows another superb trade and producers with empty stock on scanning ought to take advantage of these rates if space and feed is an issue to feed them at home this winter.
Limousin 368p, 351p, 348p £2076, £2050, £1893 A Boyd & Co, 346p, 291p £2660, £1801 Gallagher Farms, 314p, 286p, 285p, 281p £2056, £1928 Campbell Bros; Angus 346p, 327p, 317p, 316p (2) £1978, £1830 Campbell Bros; Sussex 290p, 269p £1987, £1780 J G W Warner, 288p £1776 K T Axell, 274p £1750 N A Balcomb & Son, 270p £1442 J Durham, 259p £2055 Kent Wildlife Trust, 253p £2083 P & A Butler; British Blue 276p £1956 R C & J L Pickering, 268p £1672 T Martin.
Mostly lean cows from the dairy sector but competition remaining strong and positive with the feeding influence on trade always there for the dry bagged cows. Better types up over 250p and around £2000, with plain cows 180-230p looking very well sold.
Holstein Friesian 262p, 255p, 235p £1922, £1679, £1630 J W Boyd & Sons; 227p £1846 R C & J L Pickering; Flekvieh 252p £1434; Jersey 217p (2), 186p £1126, £1104, £890 Hickson Bros.
Stock Bulls (3) Another strong trade. Fleshed Dexter 4yo 298p £1607 Miss V Clayton; older leaner Simmental and Angus bulls to 217p £2349 and 212p £1822.
Overage (7) A small offering this week but all wanted for meat or feeding.
Sussex OTM steer 332p £1591, OTM heifer 318p £1889; Angus 3+ heifer 320p £2396; Shorthorn 3+ heifer 294p £1966; British White 3+ steer 268p £1605.

Beef Cows – 54 Sold – Top 368, Average 272.0
Dairy Cows – 20 Sold – Top 262, Average 209.8

Store & Breeding Cattle – 23 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A small number penned but another terrific trade.  Top call going to G A Innes for Angus cross steers 18 months to £1860, and Limousin cross steers 22 months from R J Husk to £1690. Limousin cross steers 11 months to £1250 from J J Butcher.
450 Plus cattle already entered for Tuesday 25^th November and entries being taken for Tuesday 9^th December with good numbers already entered for this date.

Store & Finished Pigs – 46 Sold
Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A larger show in all sections of the pig department with a firm trade for finished pigs topping at 192p per kg and £192 per head from The North School.
Other finished gilts from C K Guest to 170p per kg and £178.50 per head with finished gilts from R Padfield to £180.80 per head.
Native stores from East Sutton Park Prison to £40 per head with others from M K Wilson to £35 per head. Minorities remain hard work. Just a handful of cull sows that also remain hard to shift. We have our next show of pigs on Primestock show week Tuesday 2^nd December.

Ear Tags

Producers are reminded that all cattle require two ear tags with at least one large distance readable tag. Please inspect stock in good time to order replacement tags as, regrettably, the local immediate option at Denimex no longer exists. Local authority inspectors will be taking note as stock comes to market.

 

Tuesday Livestock – 25th November 2025

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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