Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 17th February 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 1,034 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 418p – W J Waters, Kent.
Top price per head – £169.00 S B & A E Martin, Hampshire.

Less numbers of finished hoggs on offer this week at Ashford, and nationally, but the trade has lifted quite nicely for all types.
Numbers are under pressure across the country, with many sheep still on root crops that are yet to come onto the market. Export weight sheep were very well sold on the day with the SQQ average returned at 351p kg, one of the highest in the country, on the day. This is becoming obvious to many around the South East, and beyond, with finished sheep sold this week from the top of Norfolk, down to West Sussex, Hampshire, and all counties in between. We are seeing good returns for well-bred and well finished sheep that are presented clean and empty. A superb run of continental hoggets from S B & A E Martin were the leading run in this category with their run of 350 hoggs averaging 42kg at £155 head and topping at £169. Top in the price per kilo was taken by local customer W J Waters at 419p kg for some smart continentals. Heavy sheep are certainly the hardest to sell, but they were slightly improved this week and up by £3-5 head.

Finished Hoggets

35 – £120.50 (344p kg) – Port View Farm Ltd
36 – £130.00 (361p kg) – S B & A E Martin
37 – £124.00 (335p kg) – C H Ellis Ltd
38 – £159.00 (418p kg) – W J Waters
39 – £138.00 (354p kg) – S B & A E Martin
40 – £161.00 (403p kg) – S B & A E Martin
41 – £155.50 (379p kg) – S B & A E Martin
42 – £155.50 (370p kg) – S B & A E Martin
43 – £165.00 (384p kg) – S B & A E Martin
44 – £165.00 (375p kg) – N & D Attwood
45 – £169.00 (376p kg) – S B & A E Martin
46 – £166.50 (362p kg) – Miss Michelle Lakey
47 – £168.50 (359p kg) – S B & A E Martin
48 – £165.50 (345p kg) – S B & A E Martin
49 – £159.50 (326p kg) – Birt Bros
50 – £168.00 (336p kg) – N & D Attwood
51 – £167.50 (328p kg) – S B & A E Martin
52 – £150.00 (288p kg) – Miss Harriet Heathcote
53 – £160.00 (302p kg) – S T Phillips
54 – £165.00 (306p kg) – C Watkins

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 88 – Top 418, Ave. 354.0
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 460 – Top 403, Ave. 352.5
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 394 – Top 370, Ave. 331.4
Over 52.1 kg – 88 – Top 349, Ave. 293.4

Store Hoggets  600 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Top price per head – £148.50 – A Carter, Hampshire.

A good entry on offer this week, with prices very strong following the little lift in the finished pens.
Some superb store hoggets from Mr A Carter, Hampshire sold to a top price of £148.50 for genuine stores, and averaged £135 head. Others included a run of Romney lambs from D G Long topping at £124.50. Overall, the average was £121 on the day, improved slightly on last week and showing the trend of the improved finished trade.

Cull Sheep – 561 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewes: £212.00 – C Saunders, Kent. – Ave. £123.57

A firm trade for all grades with a much lower percentage of the best fleshed sorts, and more leaner types on offer.
The best regularly £140 – £160 and to a top price of £212 for smart Beltex crosses from C Saunders. Medium sorts £110 – £135, on most occasions, with these looking the best sold and leaner grazing types £70 – £100 throughout with only very few sold below these figures.
We have buyers present every week for all grades and more numbers would be no issue so do not hesitate to get in contact if you have culls to sell.

Top prices included:

Beltex cross to £212 – C Saunders, Texels to £180 – Link Bros, Suffolk cross to £170 – S T Phillips, Texel cross to £165 – Miss M Lakey, Romneys to £150 – S G & G T Orpin, Mules to £145 – E & M E Brundrett.

Ear Tags in Sheep
Please be aware of your responsibilities with regard to the tagging of sheep of all ages and in all sections of the market.

Cattle Reports

Finished Cattle –  59 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A good day in the finished section with more numbers of, largely, commercial cattle with flesh and cover, meeting a competitive trade with rates very similar to recent weeks. Wholesalers happier to take a few more numbers at current price levels.
Very few of the best beef bred types with headlines led by Limousin heifers at 402p, £2389 D W Ferguson Ltd, and Blonde steers at 380p, £2448 from G L Boulden & Sons.
Better commercial types could just break through the 370p level but generally 350-370p, depending on weight and shape.
Limousin x Friesian steers from A J Down hitting 371p thrice £2241 and, at the other end of the range, Holstein bred Angus fed heavyweights from E & J H Maylam show good returns with steers to 330p, £2685, heifers to 317p, £2326.
A larger show of native bred cattle with plenty of weight and finish in many cases. Smart mediumweight heifers again a strong trade.
Angus heifers 371p, £2330 D W Ferguson Ltd, 369p, £2137 D Mackleden Ltd. Sussex steers 369p, 365p, £2395, heifers 360p, £2229 C R Cook. Beef Shorthorn steers 369p, £2376 C R Cook.
Sussex young bull 340p £2020 CR Cook.

Leading steer prices

G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – 380p (£2448)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – 375p (£2341)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 371p (£2242)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 371p (£2223)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 371p (£2167)

Leading heifer prices       

D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 402p (£2389)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 386p (£2352)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 371p (£2556)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 371p (£2316)
Dan Mackleden Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 369p (£2137)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 1 – Top 350p – Ave. 350p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 16 – Top 380p – Ave. 368p
Steers 651 kg + – 14 – Top 359p – Ave. 340p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 10 – Top 369p – Ave. 349p
Heifers 591 kg + – 17 – Top 402p – Ave. 358p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 83 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Good numbers each week continues to attract the customers who are desperate to secure feeding and killing cattle that are so badly needed to provide that older beef of all qualities to the home and export butchery markets, and the generic minced beef that so many consumers see as their red meat staple protein.
Not the smartest of entries overall with quite a lot of aged cows as producers get down to their final cheque book passports but no shortage of competition from a good company of buyers. Best fed, or those with real potential, beef cows racing past 300p and even those old cows, which have never been so valuable in their long lives, 250-280p, with little below 240p. Good interest in all minority breeds.
Limousin 332p, 327p, 320p, 317p, 310p, £2072, £2070, £1997 Gillshaw Farms, 300p, 292p, £2230, £1992 L E Humphreys & Sons, 281p, £1964 J Hooker & Son, 279p, £2019 J Batchelor & Ptnrs, 278p, £1665 R Coleman & Son; Sussex 320p, £1661 W J Hurley, 301p, 287p, 283p, £1864, £1831 Gillshaw Farms; Simmental 293p, £1726 J Hooker & Son; Parthenais 292p, £1913 J Batchelor & Ptnrs; Angus 280p, £1775 Kent Wildlife; South Devon 276p, 275p, £2045 Gardners; Hereford 270p, £1738 W Howland, 262p, £2040 K T D Axell; British White 260p, 248p, £1531, £1326 S Goody; Beef Shorthorn 256p, £1827 H S Nicholls; Blue Albion 250p, £1672 Garratt & Mannering.
Very few dairy culls this week but all wanted. Younger Holstein Friesian cows to feed to 280p; lean steakers 230-240p.
Stock Bulls (2) Wanted Fleshed Limousin 248p, £2525; Lean British White 220p, £1976.
Overage (17) A good show of flesh forward, and plenty of weight on some aged cattle. Strong trade throughout.
Angus OTM heifers 337p, 328p, £2103 Leggat Farming; Simmental OTM heifer 325p, £1979 J Hooker & Son; Holstein Friesian 3+ steers 290p, 289p, 288p, £2329, £2286, £2178, Charolais 3+ heifer 310p, £2182, Blonde 3+ steer 299p, £2224 R Scott; Angus 3+ heifer 310p, £2042 J Batchelor & Ptnrs; Sussex OTM steer 330p £2109, Sussex 4+ steers 293p, 284p, 281p, £2146, £2104, £2098 Kent Wildlife.

Beef Cows – 57 Sold – Top 332, Average 267.4
Dairy Cows – 7 Sold – Top 250, Average 237.0

Store & Breeding Cattle – 33 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A small but successful day seen in the breeding section with the dispersal of the Foxley Wood herd of Aberdeen Angus on behalf of Mrs J Cargill, Dereham, Norfolk
Their proven Pedigree Aberdeen Angus bull 5 years old reaching £2720 followed by 24m old unregistered Angus bulls topping at £2280. The in – calf cows, ranging from 2010 – 2022 born,  were largely 6 – 7 mths in calf and were well received by a large crowd in the sale ring. Cows topped at £2520 (twice) with majority selling over £2200 per head.
Please do inform us of any store or breeding cattle you have to sell with our next sale on Tuesday 24^th February and good numbers already entered for this date.

 

Calves – 27 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Short rations once again, and perhaps not surprisingly, considering all the complicated dynamics in the dairy sector.
That said, there were customers galore looking for calves and another outstanding trade.
An excellent run of calves from J W Boyd & Sons, 3-5 weeks, saw Blue Bulls to £550, £500; Blue heifers to £520, £500; Angus bulls £550, £540, £535; Angus heifers £420, £410; Holstein Friesian bull £345.
British Friesian bull 8 weeks £420 Parrett & Son. Angus bull £415, heifer £365; Blue bull £420, heifer £320 from P J Forknall. Blue Heifer £420 J Howie. Angus bull £370, Holstein Friesian bull £200 Goddard & Son.
If you have the calves, we have the customers.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 4 – Ave. £453.75 – Top £550.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Aberdeen Angus cross – 8 – Ave. £430.63 – Top £550.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Holstein Friesian – 3 – Ave. £241.67 – Top £345.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
British Friesian – 1 – Ave. £420.00 – Top £420.00 – Parrett & Son.
Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 6 – Ave. £449.17 – Top £520.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Aberdeen Angus cross – 4 – Ave. £358.75 – Top £420.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Bull Weanlings
British Blue cross – 1 – Ave. £720.00 – Top £720.00 – Mrs A Berreen

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, any stock that are incorrectly tagged may not be offered for sale. Local authority inspectors will be taking note as stock comes to market.

 

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