Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 21st July 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –1,458 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top Price Per Kilo – 426p – G H Dean & Co, Kent.
Top Price Per Head – £208.00 – C & J Georgetti & Sons, Kent.

The gap between the two tiers in the trade is widening further with more lean sorts on offer this week than meat and £100/hd price difference from bottom to top, which really disregards the averages as any form of indication of the trade. The averages were down on last weeks, yet the better finished lambs were probably £10 dearer in the week, topping at £208 from C & J Georgetti & Sons and 426p/kg from G H Dean & Co. With what appears to be an ongoing drought hitting most of the country, these prices for finished lambs should easily be sustained throughout the summer months.

35 – £125.00 (357p kg) – Lovejoy Farm Partnership
36 – £125.00 (347p kg) – C B Hope
37 – £147.00 (397p kg) – G H Dean & Co
38 – £149.00 (392p kg) – Lucketts Farm
39 – £166.00 (426p kg) – G H Dean & Co
40 – £155.00 (388p kg) – G H Dean & Co
41 – £165.00 (402p kg) – G H Dean & Co
42 – £166.00 (395p kg) – G H Dean & Co
43 – £177.00 (412p kg) – Laura Head
44 – £178.00 (405p kg) – Link Bros
45 – £183.50 (408p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
46 – £189.00 (411p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
47 – £191.00 (406p kg) – G H Dean & Co
48 – £193.00 (402p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
49 – £197.00 (402p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
50 – £199.00 (398p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
51 – £208.00 (408p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
52 – £206.00 (396p kg) – C & J Georgetti & Sons
53 – £188.00 (355p kg) – A B Jones & Partners
57 – £200.00 (351p kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons

Averages (p/kg)

Prime NSL SQQ – 367.06

Light 32.1 to 39kgs – 177 – Top 397, Ave. 343.9
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 643 – Top 426, Ave. 369.5
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 461 – Top 411, Ave. 390.0
Over 52.1 kgs – 23 – Top 396, Ave. 362.2

Cull Sheep – 267 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top Price Ewes: £220.00 – N A Balcomb & Son. – Ave. £129.53

A smaller entry than last week and more leaner types forward which is no surprise with a lack of grass available and rainfall looking unlikely to appear.
The best regularly £150 – £180 and to a top price of £220 for Texels from N A Balcomb & Son with Texel crosses in close attendance from D Isaac and to £188. Medium sorts remain the most popular and £120 – £150 on most occasions with leaner grazing types starting to appear in numbers and £90 – £120 throughout with only a small few sold below these figures.
Please take advantage of the trade and keep these ewes coming forward with buyers present for all grades every week.

Top Prices Included:

Texels to £220 – N A Balcomb & Son, Texel cross to £188 – D Isaac, Charollais to £188 – N A Balcomb & Son, Charollais cross to £170 – A B Jones & Partners, Beltex cross to £169 – G P King, Suffolk cross to £165 – S W Mount & Sons, Mules to £150 – D Howard Farms, Romney to £140 – D C Fuller.

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 –  48 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Similar numbers on offer this week in what is a quieter period for summer trading. Beef prices on a par with last week but again less of the best quality on offer. Those best cattle that were on offer were very well sold with a heavy heifer from R F & E A Simmonds topping the day at 389p/kg. A well finished run of Limousin crosses from Alan Down traded from 335p/kg to 355p/kg. Top price in the lump went to Leggat Farming at £2570 for a heavy Blue cross steer.  Only one young bull this week at 328p/kg from C R Cook. The beef trade seems stable currently with the deadweight prices fluctuating slightly each week, but many producers are hoping for a lift, to face up to the prices that some stores cost in the Spring.

Leading steer prices

R F & E A Simmons – White Park cross – 366p (£2065)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 360p (£2265)
C R Cook – Limousin cross – 357p (£1765)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 355p (£2251)
C R Cook – Limousin cross   – 353p (£1886)

Leading heifer prices

R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 389p (£2117)
Dan Mackleden Ltd – Limousin cross – 364p (£2399)
Red Barn Farm – Limousin cross – 364p (£1999)
C R Cook – British Blue cross – 356p (£1849)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 355p (£2056)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kgs – 14 – Top 357p, Ave. 318p
Steers 551 to 650 kgs – 14 – Top 366p, Ave. 341p
Steers 651 kgs + – 3 – Top 334p, Ave. 330p
Heifers 300 to 500 kgs – 2 – Top 341p, Ave. 337p
Heifers 501 to 590 kgs – 6 – Top 364p, Ave. 352p
Heifers 591+ kgs – 8 – Top 389p, Ave. 335p

OTM Cattle & Cull Cows – 51 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Excellent numbers for the time of year, mostly from the milk sector, and a clear reflection of the dire state of grazing during this prolonged hot and dry period.
Flesh, unsurprisingly, in short supply but rates holding very strong even for the leaner, plain boning cows as demand remains so strong for the convenience of manufacturing beef.
Old but well-shaped Blonde cows from G L Boulden & Sons to 309p, £2221 with the tidy cows to kill or feed still generally 250-280p. Plenty of age on offer as time is called on older cows with a 20 year old lean Blue cross cow still well sold to 231p, £1487.
Blonde 309p, 294p, £2221, £2113 G L Boulden & Sons; Sussex 283p, 280p, 278p £1865, £1568, £1551 Hampton Estate, 256p £1674 S Digby-Baker; Limousin 270p, £1657 G L Boulden & Sons, 267p, £2052 R F & E A Simmons, 256p, £1444 M B Farms; Aberdeen Angus 268p, £2287 C R Cook; Beef Shorthorn 263p, £1824 H F & J H Glover; Hereford 254p, £1724 C R Cook.
A larger entry from the dairy sector and mostly lean, boning cows which look very well sold. A few well fleshed British Friesian cows from Debden Court selling to 273p reflecting their age and shape, and the different carcase roles that their quality offers. Several younger empty Holstein heifers keenly sought to be fed for the future.
Holstein Friesian heifers 276p, 270p, £2102 H O Champneys; British Friesian 273p, 258p, 255p, 250p, £1879, £1807, £1734 Debden Court; Holstein Friesian 260p, £2011 H O Champneys, 230p, 226p, 220p, 216p, £1875, £1778, £1635, £1633 J Warnock & Sons, 223p, £1480 W G & T A Manford; Guernsey 194p, 184p, £1113 W G & T A Manford.
Stock Bulls (2) Remaining a firm trade. Limousin 245p, £1871; lean Sussex 204p, £1801.
Overage (1) Just the one traditional Hereford steer selling at 292p, £1618 to feed.

Beef Cows – 18 Sold – Top 309, Average 264.8
Dairy Cows – 30 Sold – Top 276, Average 222.9

Store & Breeding Cattle – 14 sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678.

A few stores forward looking well sold with smart Limousin cross steers 16 mths from A & H Edmonds to £1860 and older types from Burnt Oak Farm & Kennels saw Limousin cross steers 29 mths to £1840 followed by 16 mths Aberdeen Angus cross heifers to £1690 from the same home.
Numbers are building for a catalogued sale on Tuesday 4^th August so do not hesitate to get in contact if you have any store or breeding cattle to sell.

Calves – 46 sold

Auctioneer: Tristan Howell 07917024340.

Good runs of good calves and a fitting trade, with only the best calves off from the previous sale. Top price was £560, part of W G & T A Manford’s consignment, for an older British Blue heifer. £540 was met on multiple occasions; J W Boyd & Sons Ltd with a British Blue bull calf, Mr P J Forknall (twice) with an Angus Bull calf at 19 days and a Charolais heifer at only two weeks. T Castle & Son with only two continental bulls at £500 and £480, and their smart British Friesian bulls at £425, £400 etc. The largest run of calves on the day came from J Warnock & Sons, with their smaller Angus calves well fought over around the ring, the dearest bulls at £370 and heifers at £300.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 8 – Ave. £425.00 – Top £540.00 – J W Boyd & Sons.
Aberdeen Angus cross – 10 – Ave. £385.00 – Top £540.00 – P J Forknall.
British Friesian – 5 – Ave. £371.00 – Top £425.00 – T Castle & Son.
Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 8 – Ave. £393.75 – Top £560.00 – W G & T A Manford.
Charolais cross – 2 – Ave. £482.50 – Top £540.00 – P J Forknall.
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave. £500.00 – Top £500.00 – T Castle & Son.
Aberdeen Angus cross – 9 – Ave. £268.89 – Top £440.00 – P J Forknall.
Sussex cross – 1 – Ave. £170.00 – Top £170.00 – J Warnock & Sons.

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.

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here