Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 7th April 2026

1,989 Sheep and 544 Cattle Sold.
Finished Hoggets to – £231.00 – Husk Farms Ltd & Cattle to £2604.83 from Birt Bros.

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 1,546 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 464p – Miss Michelle Lakey, Norfolk.
Top price per head – £231.00 – Husk Farms Ltd, East Kent.

A smaller entry this week as expected being the week that follows the Easter weekend and trade was a little less ferocious than the past two weeks on the heavier sheep, but actually a higher SQQ figure for the export grade hoggets was returned at 414p kg, with quite a few top quality sheep falling into this bracket.
Middle weighted sheep were very much in demand, and a superb pen from Miss Michelle Lakey, Norfolk topped the day at 464p kg. The very heavy hoggets that were all in excess of £200 hd last week were maybe £5-10 hd down on the week but still sold at some very favourable levels, which if they were offered 6 weeks at these prices, most sellers would of jumped to take. All included, the entry of finished sheep averaged £183/hd and topped out at £231/hd hd for some very smart Beltex hoggets from Husk Farms Ltd.
With numbers maybe starting to tighten up a little and a long wait before any considerable number of spring lambs come to the market, it certainly seems that the hogget price should be sustainable for at least the next month.

Finished Hoggets

33 – £140.00 (424p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
34 – £157.00 (462p kg) – P Ashlee
35 – £160.00 (457p kg) – P Ashlee
36 – £161.00 (447p kg) – P Ashlee
38 – £164.00 (432p kg) – Mrs D Ashlee
39 – £180.00 (462p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
41 – £164.00 (400p kg) – E H Holdstock & Sons
42 – £195.00 (464p kg) – Miss Michelle Lakey
43 – £184.00 (428p kg) – St. Nicholas Court Farms Ltd
44 – £200.00 (455p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
45 – £193.00 (429p kg) – P Ashlee
46 – £208.00 (452p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
47 – £205.00 (436p kg) – St. Nicholas Court Farms Ltd
48 – £206.00 (429p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
49 – £214.00 (437p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
50 – £207.00 (414p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
51 – £200.00 (392p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
52 – £204.00 (392p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
53 – £198.00 (374p kg) – R L Goodman & Son
54 – £200.00 (370p kg) – E H Holdstock & Sons
55 – £200.00 (364p kg) – R L Goodman & Son
56 – £195.00 (348p kg) – P M Langridge
57 – £212.00 (372p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
58 – £205.00 (353p kg) – C Saunders
59 – £196.00 (332p kg) – M R Woodroofe
60 – £200.00 (333p kg) – C Saunders
61 – £231.00 (379p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 102 – Top 462, Ave. 418.2
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 410 – Top 464, Ave. 410.1
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 578 – Top 452, Ave. 383.8
Over 52.1 kg + – 450 – Top 436, Ave. 352.2

Store Hoggets 115 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Top price per head: £164.00 – W J Hurley, Kent.

Just a few this week and the end of this season for stores seems to be very much upon us now, despite this a very strong trade for what was available, and the average was still in excess of £130 hd and topped at £164 hd from W J Hurley.

Cull Sheep – 328 Sold

Top price ewes: £295.00 – Husk Farms Ltd, Kent. – Ave. £185.19

An absolute showstopper and the dearest I think I have ever seen them.
The best regularly £180 – £210 and to a top price of £295 for smashing Beltex ewes from Husk Farms Ltd with others £260 and £250 from the same home. Medium sorts £150 – £180 on most occasions and leaner grazing types £120 – £150 throughout with only 5 lots sold under £120 on the day.
Please do inform me of any large consignments you have for the coming weeks with more wanted of all grades in order to satisfy buyers demands.

Top Prices Included:

Beltex to £295 – Husk Farms Ltd, Texel to £260 – Husk Farms Ltd, Suffolk cross to £247 – R F & E A Simmons, Texel cross to £227 – M Critcher & Partners, Blue Texel to £221 – Miss Michelle Lakey, Norfolk, Zwartbles to £215 – Miss Z Husk, Romneys to £215 – J Bowdidge, Mules to £191 – Miss Michelle Lakey, Norfolk.

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 – 47 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A few more on offer and a greater variety in quality amongst the entry with few of the best. Certainly, more dairy bred; certainly, more weight coming forward; and certainly, some cattle over finished.
Trade a shade easier than last week with the Middle East conflict causing concerns, understandably, amongst consumers and retailers. Fingers crossed with the cease fire!
William Alexander took double honours with his Limousins selling heifers 381p, £2131, steers to 375p, £2528. Tidy beef bred types generally 355p-375p. Heavyweight Limousin steers to £2605 Birt Bros, Blonde heifers to £2457 D W Ferguson Ltd.
Limousin x British Friesian steers from AJ Down selling to 266p £2420, consistently 355-365p but some less shaped types 320-340p.
Again, a real mix amongst the natives with nice Sussex steers from Dan Mackleden to 359p, £2133. Hereford steers to 350p, £2289 Leggat Farming, heifers to 340p R C & J L Pickering. Angus sold to 349p; steers £2579 Dan Mackleden; heifers £2492 Birt Bros.
A very smart Limousin bull from R J & C M Greengrow sold well at 382p, £2251.

Leading steer prices

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 375p (£2528)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 371p (£2167)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 367p (£2327)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 366p (£2211)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 365p (£2187)

Leading heifer prices

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 381p (£2131)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 379p (£2025)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 371p (£1982)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – 370p (£2457)
D W Ferguson Ltd – British Blue cross – 370p (£2217)

Average prices

Steers 551 to 650 kg – 16 – Top 371p – Ave. 353p
Steers 651 kg + – 12 – Top 375p – Ave. 351p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 8 – Top 381p – Ave. 354p
Heifers 591 kg + – 9 – Top 370p – Ave. 346p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 35 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Cows are desperately short everywhere and it was pleasing to have even a modest number forward. Trade sensational particularly for the hard feeding cows which will relish the grass and the weather over coming months.
Hard beef feeders regularly over 300p and under 6 year olds up to 350p for Angus from R Brown, Chelmsford. Very little flesh on offer but half meat types dear 270-290p.
Angus 350p, 320p, 300p £1905 R Brown, 284p, 276p, £2027, £1929 W S Furnival, 284p, £1829 S G & G T Orpin; Hereford 334p, 328p, £2168, £2014 R C & J L Pickering; British Blue 322p, £2218 M Godden; Simmental 281p, £1869 R C & J L Pickering.
A few more from the dairy sector this week and trade again electric with fed meat cows 265-275p, leaner types 200-240p. Channel Islanders well sold.
It is very pleasing to see that ARLA producers will be able to market cows as they feel right, including through the live markets, from the 1^st July.
British Friesian 274p, £2188 B G Goodsell & Son, 260p, 245p Farmer Paul; Holstein Friesian 267p, £1959 B G Goodsell & Son, 252p, 251p, 245p, £1678, £1572 R C & J L Pickering; Holstein 244p, 234p, £1692, £1681 P J Forknall.
Stock Bull (1) Very strong trade with under 48 month Hereford Bulls to 320p, 280p, £2585, £2268.
Overage (6) Fleshed cattle on offer today and holding similar. Extreme fat penalised so please be careful. Well finished not fat!
OTM Limousin steer 360p, £2660 Leggat Farming; OTM Angus heifer 341 £2537 B G & M A Tomsett; OTM Hereford heifer 331p, £1735 B Ginger; OTM Black & White heifers 295p, 289p, £1870, £1731 D Murdoch & Sons.

Beef Cows – 14 Sold – Top 350, Average 300.0
Dairy Cows – 14 Sold – Top 274, Average 242.0

Store & Breeding Cattle – 462 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A day for the Continentals with one of the best shows of cattle we will see in the pens this year for our first Annual Show & Sale and what a great success it was. Kindly judged by Mr A Habberfield, Somerset who awarded top honours to H J Emery & Son taking and winning the £500 voucher kindly sponsored by Portequip Ltd. In Second Place we had L E Humphreys & Sons and Third Place G Bates Ltd all of which had superb cattle in the pens along with many other vendors on the day making the judging a tricky task.
To kick off the sale we had a Limousin cow with Hereford calf at foot from G & R Bailey to £2360 and Angus store bulls 21 mths from Brown & Daughter to £1530 with their Angus heifers 17 mths topping at £1650. Limousin cross steers 13 mths to £2160 from S & D Broad and Limousin cross steers 10 mths from Master B Keeley to £1850. Limousin steers 12 mths from L Palmar & Sons to £1830 with the heifers from the same home to £1620 followed by M L Williams with Limousin steers 12 mths to £1860.
A run of super Limousin cross grazing types from W J Hurley 10 – 11 mths topped at £1810 for the steers and £1780 for the heifers with similar but stronger sorts from H & S Nesfield 12 – 13 mths topping at £2170 with their Limousin cross steers. P J S Farms homebred Limousin cross steers 11-12 mths to £1830 and cracking Limousin steers 12-13 mths from R J & C M Greengrow topped at £1960. G Bates Ltd with superb Limousin steers 11 – 13 mths topping at £2160 followed by L E Humphreys & Sons with Limousin steers 12-13 mths to £2400 and belters from H J Emery & Son taking First Place with their Limousin steers 13 mths to £2390. R D E Spencer saw £2160 for Limousin cross steers 13 mths and £1780 for the heifers from the same home followed by a cracking run of Limousin crosses 11-13 mths from P N & C Burden topping at £2310 for the steers with the heifers to £2000. A J Bray had a smart run forward of mainly Limousin cross steers 12-13 mths topping at £2030 and Angus steers 11-12 mths from R W Goddard & Partners saw the best of their to £1800. Well done Hereford and Limousin crosses 15 – 16 mths from G & R Bailey topped at £2100 for the steers and £1700 for the heifers. Finally, a cracking run from W & P New of open yarded Limousin and Simmental crosses 23 – 25 mths topped at £2210, £2180, £2140 and B J Goodsell had well done Friesian and Holstein steers 26 mths to £1760.
Next week will be a breeding cattle sale with good entries coming forward to include a run of 160 Limousin x Friesian bulling heifers all from one holding. Our next sale of store cattle will be on Tuesday 21^st April with good entries for this day already.

Principal prices include:

Continental:
Limousin cross steers 13 mths – £2400 – L E Humphreys & Sons
Limousin cross steers 14 mths – £2390 – H J Emery & Son
Limousin cross steers 14 mths – £2310 – P N & C Burden
Limousin cross heifers 14 mths – £2000 – P N & C Burden
Simmental cross heifers 25 mths – £2000 – W & P New
Limousin cross heifers 13 mths – £1870 – H J Emery & Son
Native:
Hereford cross steers 17 mths – £2100 – G & R Bailey
Aberdeen Angus cross steers 23 mths – £1860 – B J Goodsell & Son
Aberdeen Angus steers 12 mths – £1800 – R W Goodard & Partners
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 23 mths – £1760 – B J Goodsell & Son
Hereford cross heifers 17 mths – £1700 – G & R Bailey
Hereford heifers 24 mths – £1700 – B C Ginger

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.

Store & Finished Pigs – 17 Sold