Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 31st March 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 3,274 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top Price Per Kilo – 500p/kg – T Lyle & Partners
Top Price Per Head – £225 – St Nicholas Court Farms

A very busy day in the sheep pens with almost 3300 finished hoggets penned, one of the biggest entries we have seen for quite some time. This was, obviously, brought about by the trade of the last two weeks and, with this being the last Tuesday before Easter,  it was seen as a prime opportunity to sell hoggets. Despite the bigger entry, and considerably less of the top quality hoggets on offer in comparison to last week, the trade held up all the way through with,once again, a SQQ average in excess of 400p/kg and an all included average of £180/head. There was quite a bit of discussion about the trade easing but despite this the best were actually dearer on the week and topped at 500p/kg this week for some superb Beltex from T Lyle and Partners, closely followed by Mr Peter Gorringe at 487p/kg and Ian Lucas at 473p/kg. A total of 45 pens of toppers broke the £200/hd price barrier today, with Husk Farms and St. Nicholas Court Farms selling in excess of £220/hd. What will the trade do now….? Well it remains to be seen what will happen after Easter but there has been a huge amount of sheep sold in the past three weeks and numbers nationally are certainly lower than they were. This coupled with the very long wait for any substantial numbers of new season lambs suggests that prices should hold, within reason, for some time to come.

Finished Hoggets

33 – £144.00 – (436.0p kg) – J J Livestock Solutions
34 – £158.00 – (465.0p kg) – C B Hope
35 – £141.00 – (433.0p kg) – C Saunders
37 – £175.00 – (473.0p kg) – I Lucas
38 – £162.00 – (426.0p kg) – S B & A E Martin
39 – £190.00 – (487.0p kg) – P Gorringe
40 – £200.00 – (500.0p kg) – T Lyle & Partners
41 – £175.00 – (427.0p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
42 – £173.00 – (412.0p kg) – J Wayman
43 – £190.00 – (442.0p kg) – S J & J L Vine partners
44 – £183.00 – (416.0p kg) – H Lucas
45 – £191.00 – (424.0p kg) – H Rivers
46 – £193.00 – (420.0p kg) – P Gorringe
47 – £192.00 – (409.0p kg) – P Gorringe
48 – £202.00 – (421.0p kg) – St Nicholas Court Farm
49 – £221.00 – (451.0p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
50 – £213.00 – (426.0p kg) – S J Reeve and Son
51 – £225.00 – (441.0p kg) – St Nicholas Court Farm

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 298 – Top 473.0 – Ave. 401.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 808 – Top 500.0 – Ave. 395.8
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 1065 – Top 451.0 – Ave. 385.5
Over 52.1 kg + – 987 – Top 323.0 – Ave. 302.4

Store Hoggets  291 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Top price per head: £178.00 – Mr P Smith, Kent

These are getting scarce now and we are getting down to some of the “also rans” of the 2025 lambing crop, but those that are present have been boosted in price following the increased finished trade and today topping at £178 from Mr Patrick Smith, closely followed by A Carter at £168.

We can sell stores very easily at the moment and as numbers decrease, the trade should maintain these strong levels.

Cull Sheep – 536 Sold

Top Price: £250 from Husk Farms Ltd                  Ave. £162.01

What a trade from start to finish with all grades wanted as a shortage nationally starts to appear. The strongest and heaviest regularly £170 – £200 and to a top price of £250 for Beltex from Husk Farms Ltd, followed by A Rivers with Charollais Crosses to £248. Medium sorts £140 – £170 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £100 – £130 with only a very small number sold below these figures.

Please do inform me of any large consignments of ewes that you have going forward with regular buyers in attendance for all grades every week.

Top Prices Included:

Beltex to £250 from Husk Farm Ltd
Charollais Cross to £248 from A Rivers
Texel Cross to £224 from Husk Farms Ltd
Suffolk Cross to £218 from A A Palmar & Son
Crossbred to £218 from P Ashlee
Mules to £185 from Husk Farms Ltd
Romneys to £185 from G L Boulden & Sons
Lleyn to £177 from E & J H Maylam
Exlana to £157 from J J Livestock

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 –  40 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A shorter entry and trade certainly brighter with all buyers more in the mood to own beef.
Quality overall very similar with a shortage of the best cattle; good finish amongst the commercial and native cattle; and again quite a few cattle up over 700kgs.
Best beef bred cattle generally 370-390p with Birt Bros topping the day at 389p £2137 with a fine homebred Angus heifer. RF&EA Simmons taking steer honours with Limousin to 382p £2499, their smart heifers to 388p £2346.
Weight no problem with Beef Shorthorn steers to £2796 Leggat Farming; Simmental steer £2620 Dan Mackleden; and Blonde steer £2609, Blonde heifer £2406 GL Boulden & Sons.
Alan Down`s Limousin x Friesian steers to 370p £2447, consistently 360-370p and dearer on the week. British Blue x Friesian heifer 368p £2150 WS Furnival. British Friesian steer 338p £1958; Holstein Friesian heifers 300p £2141. Wagyu x Jersey steer 307p £1854 from Hickson Bros.
Amongst the natives we saw Angus heifers to 389p Birt Bros; Angus steers 379p £2290 Leggat Farming. Sussex steers to 375p £2303 , heifers 368p £2095 both from Dan Mackleden. A White Park steer to 355p £2109 RF&EA Simmons.

More positive overall.

Leading steer prices

R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – £2498 – 382p
Leggat Farming Ltd – Beef Shorthorn cross – £2796 – 359p
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – £2609 – 358p
Dan Mackleden Ltd – Simmental cross – £2620 – 343p
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – £2315 – 341p

Leading heifer prices       

Dan Mackleden Ltd – Limousin cross – £2346 – 382p
Dan Mackleden Ltd – Sussex – £2094 – 368p
W S Furnival Ltd – British Blue cross – £2149 – 368p
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – £2406 – 357p
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – £2270 – 342p
D Murdoch & Sons – Holstein Friesian cross – £2141 – 300p

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 1 – to 358p – Ave. 358p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 14 – to 379p – Ave. 357p
Steers 651 kg + – 9 – to 382p – Ave. 370p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 7 – to 389p – Ave. 370p
Heifers 591 kg + – 9 – to 382p – Ave. 350p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 9 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Dramatically quiet day in the section with seemingly all vehicles carrying sheep to market on a very busy day!
Nothing wrong with the trade with older Sussex grazing cow at 245p £1479; plain lightweight Holstein Friesian cows either side of 200p; and a tidy Jersey lightweight cow from Hickson Bros very well sold at 215p £976..
A handful of overage with a good Limousin OTM steer at 357p £1996 from RF&EA Simmons whilst strong fed Black and Whites 3+ from the Scott Bros to 313p, 309p, 296p £2219, £2083, £2052.
More Wanted, if you have them!

Beef – 1 – Top 245.0  – Ave. 245.0
Dairy – 3 – Top 215.0 – Ave. 202.0

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.

Calves – 39 Sold

Auctioneer: Tristan Howell 07917024340. 

A few more numbers this week with 39 calves under the hammer and a particularly impressive overall average of £321, with over half Jersey-bred and some of these under 3 weeks old.

Top call to the first calf in the ring from JW Boyd & Sons, a strong two-month-old British Blue x bull calf opening the trade at £665 with all types of buying power for the calves on offer. JW Boyd’s other Blues to £535 and £465, bulls and heifers, respectively. Only the one Angus bull from this home, realising £435 at 28 days old. Next into the ring was a run of mixed age crossbred calves from GR Edgar & Son – a mix of Blue and Angus x calves, with 2-month-old Blue x Jerseys selling to £415, and their younger Angus crosses reaching £160. Hickson Bros following with one of their Blue x Jerseys to £380, with Wagyu x calves to £255. Goddard & Son brought forward the only Black and Whites on the day, two bull calves, either side of a month, going to the same home at £230 and £215. Finishing the day were R & J Ledger Ltd’s well presented Simmental x bulls at £510 and £480, heifers at £490, £470 and £465 – their Angus x to £530.

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 5 – Top £665.00 – Ave. £475.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 8 – Top £485.00 – Ave. £257.50 – R & J Ledger
Simmental cross – 2 – Top £510.00 – Ave. £495.00 – R & J Ledger

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross  – 9 – Top £465.00 – Ave. £356.11 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 7 – Top £530.00 – Ave. £209.29 – R & J Ledger
Simmental cross – 3 – Top £490.00 – Ave. £475.00 – R & J Ledger

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