Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 30th June 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –1,782 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top Price Per Kilo – 454p – Husk Farms Ltd, Kent.
Top Price Per Head – £220.00 – M J Ashworth, Kent.

A similar trade to last week really all in all, with a lot of the better finished lambs knocking around the 400p/kg mark and the better shaped types above this and many of the grass types selling below this level. More lambs are coming out now to take advantage of the prices that are available for young lambs, straight off their mothers, with little or no additional cost of production added to them and the prices available for these are still very favourable, but not quite in the same bracket as the concentrate fed lambs that top the prices each week. The huge average we were seeing 3-4 weeks ago are now a thing of the past and we are now trading at a more sensible and sustainable level with the best heavy sheep hitting around £200 and above and topping at £220 from M J Ashworth, with others from Dylan Isaac, Husk Farms Ltd and Masters Farms also going above the £200 mark. In the smaller export types this week the top end were around 450p/kg, topping at 454p/kg from Husk Farms with G H Dean & Co selling a fine run of Beltex crosses that topped at 449p/kg.

36 – £147.00 (408p kg) – S W Batch
37 – £159.00 (430p kg) – P & E Andreozzi
38 – £156.00 (411p kg) – G H Dean & Co
39 – £175.00 (449p kg) – G H Dean & Co
40 – £170.00 (425p kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
41 – £186.00 (454p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
42 – £180.00 (429p kg) – T R Holt
43 – £180.00 (419p kg) – G H Dean & Co
44 – £196.00 (445p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
45 – £185.00 (411p kg) – Ms Holly Arpino
46 – £207.00 (450p kg) – Husk Farms Ltd
47 – £196.00 (417p kg) – M J Ashworth
48 – £196.00 (408p kg) – David Clark (Farms) Ltd
49 – £203.00 (414p kg) – Masters Farms
50 – £209.00 (418p kg) – D Isaac & Holly Chandler
52 – £201.00 (387p kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons
54 – £201.50 (373p kg) – Masters Farms
55 – £220.00 (400p kg) – M J Ashworth

Averages (p/kg)

Prime NSL SQQ – 396.28

Light 32.1 to 39kgs – 409 – Top 430, Ave. 379.2
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 973 – Top 454, Ave. 394.9
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 352   – Top 450, Ave. 401.0
Over 52.1 kgs – 33 – Top 400, Ave. 379.1

Cull Sheep – 289 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top Price: £195.00 – N A Balcomb & Son – Ave. £138.15

Very similar numbers penned and a trade on par with the previous week for all grades.
The best regularly £150 – £180 and to a top price of £195 for Suffolks from N A Balcomb & Son with Beltex crosses to £190 from the same home. Medium sorts remain to look the best sold and £130 – £160 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £90 – £120 throughout with only a very small number sold below these figures on the day.
More ewes would be of no concern with buyers present for all grades every week and the trade remaining at a respectable level.

Top Prices Included:

Suffolk to £195 – N A Balcomb & Son, Beltex cross to £190 – N A Balcomb & Son, Texel to £190 – N A Balcomb & Son, Texel cross to £178 – P & E Andreozzi, Suffolk cross to £172 – F W Hamlyn & Son, Crossbred to £170 – M J Ashworth, Mules to £165 – Masters Farms, Romney to £149 – T D L Bird.

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 –  41 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

A few less cattle this week, which appears to be the same all around the country with haymaking etc taking priority in the last couple of weeks, especially as the trade was a little stale anyway. This week things certainly took a nice lift of I would say 10-15p/kg and with some better quality sorts on offer, prices went on another gear also with M B Farms topping the day with a strong spirited, smart Limousin steer at 375p/kg and grossing £2,790/hd. Quality lighter heifers topped at 365p/kg from W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm and grossing £2,295. A run of well finished dairy cross types from Alan Down would have been up by about 15-20p in comparison to last week, reflecting the fact that deadweight quotations have risen this week also, but not by this much. Selll live and thrive….

Leading steer prices

M B Farms – Limousin cross – 375p (£2790)
M B Farms – Limousin – 370p (£2623)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin – 351p (£2454)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 351p (£2226)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 349p (£2370)

Leading heifer prices

W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm – Limousin cross – 363p (£1994)
W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm – Simmental cross – 362p (£2296)
W & P New T/A Moorhouse Farm – Limousin cross – 352p (£1775)
W S Furnival Ltd – Hereford cross – 330p (£1993)
Leggat Farming Ltd – British Blue cross – 329p (£2070)

Average prices

Steers 551 to 650 kg – 14 – Top 351p, Ave. 334p
Steers 651 kg + – 18 – Top 375p, Ave. 332p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 3 – Top 363p, Ave. 346p
Heifers 591+ kg – 4 – Top 362p, Ave. 334p

OTM Cattle & Cull Cows – 19 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Cow and overage trade remains strong and positive, and more numbers, if they are out there, could easily be sold every week.
Few fleshed beef cows forward with 14 yrs. old Limousin to 295p, £1929 from M B Farms and heavyweight Charolais, 11 yrs. from Jan Boomaars to 278p, £2525.
Limousin 295p, £1929 M B Farms, 268p, £1939 R F & E A Simmons, Charolais 278p, £2525 Jan Boomaars; Sussex 274p, £1463 C Woodhead, 259p, £1810 C E & W S Millson, 259p, £1732 Torry Holl Farms.
Mostly Jersey’s amongst the dairy entry but no shortage of demand for all grades of cull dairy cows.
We welcome back to the market ring from the 1^st July producers suppling their milk to ARLA who will now be able to realise the advantages and opportunities of selling to a larger audience in the auctions.
Holstein Friesian 239p, 231p, 216p, £1602, £1584, £1526 J W Boyd & Sons. Jersey’s 197p, 189p, 168p, £1100, £980, £695 Hickson Bros, 161p, 149p, 144p, S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Overage (4) Good interest and a strong trade. Limousin 3 yrs.+ heifer 328p, £1736; Sussex 3 yrs.+ heifers 321p, £1827 Torry Hill Farms, British Blue x Friesian heifer 312p, £2103 J Hodson; Dexter 4 yrs.+ 230p, £792 M Keeley (Agri Services) Ltd.

Beef Cows – 6 Sold – Top 295, Average 272.2
Dairy Cows – 9 Sold – Top 239, Average 188.2

Store & Breeding Cattle – 4 sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Not a lot forward but customers keen to buy and suggesting a good trade after the mid-summer quiet period.
Aberdeen Angus x Dexter heifers, 14 mths to £750; Aberdeen Angus x Hereford steer, 6 mths to £780 and Aberdeen Angus heifer, 7 mths to £560.

We are building numbers for a catalogued sale on Tuesday 7^th July.
So do not hesitate to get your entries in.

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.

Pigs – 17 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Certainly, a day when there were more customers wanting pigs, than pigs to go around! Hence a very strong trade with quality white gilt pigs from C K Guest to 200p, grossing up to £180.60. Even coloured pigs better than of late with fleshed Oxford, Sandy & Black to 132p, £129.36 from The Woodlands Farm Trust. Strong lean white feeders to 150p, £142.50.
Not very exciting for the two sows but both sold at just over £20/head.
Please let us know if you are consigning sows or boars so that a sale can be organised.

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