Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 10th February 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 1,388 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 377p – Port View Farm Ltd, Kent.
Top price per head – £175.00 G A Mitchell & Son, Kent.

Almost double last week’s entry with bigger numbers now on the horizon for each week, with the incessant rains that the South East are being hit with being a big factor in the decision to sell. This is only going to push out bigger numbers over the coming weeks, which may be an oversupply and can impact the trade negatively.
We saw a similar trade today for the lighter weighted sheep but, perhaps, a fraction less in pence per kilo, with the heavier types certainly finding less demand, as we have seen in recent weeks. These heavier hoggets are generally trading around £3 kg with the 52kg+ a little less at times. We are constantly asked why this is the case and the only real explanation lies with the fact that the wholesale UK trade is very slow currently.
Demand in the shops and wholesalers is at one of its lowest levels in recent memories, with imported product also available on the supermarket shelves at lower prices than we can afford to produce it for. Top on the day was some very heavy hoggs from G A Mitchell & Son at £175, with top price per kilo coming in at 377p kg from Port View Farm Ltd. Many “SQQ” level hoggets are selling from 330-350p kg, which is still a very favourable price range for these sheep. It is not all doom and gloom!

Finished Hoggets

35 – £132.00 (377p kg) – Port View Farm Ltd
36 – £127.50 (354p kg) – Port View Farm Ltd
37 – £133.00 (359p kg) – Port View Farm Ltd
38 – £138.50 (364p kg) – S King
39 – £141.00 (362p kg) – S King
40 – £143.50 (359p kg) – Bagshaw Farming
41 – £144.00 (351p kg) – R Padfield
42 – £155.00 (369p kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
43 – £146.00 (340p kg) – R Padfield
44 – £150.00 (341p kg) – S King
45 – £160.00 (356p kg) – Bagshaw Farming
46 – £159.00 (346p kg) – H Rivers
47 – £159.50 (339p kg) – H Rivers
48 – £157.50 (328p kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
49 – £154.00 (314p kg) – M R Woodroofe
50 – £165.00 (330p kg) – H Rivers
51 – £166.00 (325p kg) – P Gorringe
52 – £165.00 (317p kg) – P Gorringe
53 – £158.50 (299p kg) – H Rivers
54 – £161.50 (299p kg) – G A Mitchell & Son
55 – £168.00 (305p kg) – J Hooker & Son
57 – £168.00 (295p kg) – P Gorringe
59 – £163.00 (276p kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
70 – £175.00 (250p kg) – G A Mitchell & Son

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 112 – Top 377, Ave. 357.6
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 479 – Top 369, Ave. 334.5
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 569   – Top 347, Ave. 312.3
Over 52.1 kg – 225 – Top 318, Ave. 292.6

Store Hoggets  762 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Top price per head – £144.00 – S Henden, Kent.

Following a bit of a downer in the trade for the bigger hoggets, you might be thinking the store hoggets might be a bit less this week, but the trade was flying from start to finish with an average price of £118, up by £7 on last week, for what was overall a poorer quality entry of sheep.
Top spot was taken by S Hendon at £144 head for some strong Charollais cross stores, with Romneys to £128 from F & L Reeve and £125 from Groombridge Farms Ltd.

Cull Sheep – 389 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewes: £250.00 – H V Link Partnership, Kent. – Ave. £127.91

Consistent numbers forward, but a few less of the very best and well fleshed sorts. The fleshed heavyweight types more readily available nationally with numbers of empty scanned ewes coming forward and the majority £140 – £160, topping at £250 for super Texels from H V Link Partnership. Medium sorts £110 – £130 and remain trading well with these looking the easiest sellers further down the line. Leaner grazing sorts scarce in the pens and £70 – £100 throughout with only very few sold below these figures.
Please inform me of any numbers that you are going forward in the coming weeks with buyers present every week for all grades.

Top prices included:

Texels to £250 – H V Link Partnership, Charollais cross to £162 – R & S L M Smith, Suffolk cross to £155 – G A Mitchell & Son, Texel cross to £149 – Kinnear & Co, and J Hooker & Son, Mules to £146 – J G & M Bray, Romneys to £144 – Collum Securities.

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 –  44 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A very similar trade to recent weeks with no great strength in the retail market but tight supplies keeping the market up to the mark. A good entry of fleshed cattle with the lighter heifers having the best of the trade as retailers and consumers look to lay out less money but keeping the wheels turning.
Terrific homebred Limousin heifers from Patrick Langridge topped the day selling to 400p, £2435; others 394p D W Ferguson Ltd, 392p Leggat Farming Ltd; with a light show of steers topping at 375p, £2284 from W Alexander (Shoreham). Best beef bred heifers generally 370-395p with the 500-550kg having the best of the day. Smart Blonde steers from G L Boulden & Sons to £2689 (374p); Limousin heifers to £2403 (376p) Dan Mackelden.
A J Down`s Limousin x Friesians very consistent in quality and trade, generally around 360p and topping at £2343.
Natives saw Angus heifers from 375p, £2210 WS Furnival Ltd, others from DW Ferguson Ltd 374p, £2272. Angus steers 366p, £2266, Sussex steers 365p, £2296 W S Furnival Ltd. A Welsh Black steer 357p, £2282 W Alexander (Shoreham).
Young Bulls (3) Limousin x Friesian 348p, £2259 A J Down; Sussex 318p, £2175 Chandler & Dunn.

Leading steer prices

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 375p (£2284)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – 374p (£2689)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 372p (£2043)
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 366p (£2266)
W S Furnival Ltd – Sussex cross – 365p (£2296)

Leading heifer prices       

P M Langridge – Limousin cross – 400p (£2277)
D W Ferguson Ltd – British Blue cross – 394p (£2302)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Limousin cross – 392p (£2095)
P M Langridge – Limousin cross – 385p (£2076)
D W Ferguson – Limousin cross – 380p (£2258)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 1 – Top 372p – Ave. 372p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 14 – Top 375p – Ave. 359p
Steers 651 kg + – 3 – Top 374p – Ave. 361p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 9 – Top 400p – Ave. 379p
Heifers 591 kg + – 14 – Top 380p – Ave. 365p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 51 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A few less cows forward this week but good quality overall with few from the dairy sector, and a balance of meat and feeding cows from the suckler world. Customers remain keen to secure numbers and competition strong throughout.
Best young, calved feeders pushing up to 350p with plenty 280-320p, and even the older cows rarely below 200p. Young fed meat cows regularly 260-300p with a fine run of Sussex cows from Gillshaw Farms to 304p, £2497. Minorities wanted with fleshed Highlands to 280p, £1509.
Limousin 350p, 311p, 300p, £1902, £1894, £1783 A J Thompson, & Sons 289p, 286p, £1884 Gillshaw Farms, 277p, £1816 J Berryman, 261p, £1954 R Douglas; British Blue 320p, 310p, 302p, 300p, £1508, £1439 Betchworth Estate, 289p, £1745 A J Thompson & Sons; Simmental 304p, 294p, £2231, £1806 Betchworth Estate, Sussex 304p, 296p, 293p, 292p, 290p, £2497, £2089, £1988, £1836, £1832 Gillshaw Farms, 268p, 259p, £1712 H W Richards; Angus 296p, £1841 AJ Thompson & Sons, 273p, £2330 F Pearce & Sons, 265p, £1904 Betchworth Estate; Beef Shorthorn 284p, £2070 J Berryman; Charolais 271p, £1866 J Berryman; Highland 280p, £1509 C Woodhead.
A small dairy show with just two Black & Whites but good ones, as always, from D Murdoch & Sons selling at 246p, 245p, £1785, £1731. 4 Jerseys sold well with a fed heavyweight 242p, £1497 from Chris Woodhead, others 183p, 178p, 169p, £867, £840 Hickson Bros.
Overage (4) Good OTM meat heifers from John Berryman to 366p, 361p, £2415; OTM Red Poll steer 328p Capel Manor College, Enfield.

Beef Cows – 40 Sold – Top 350, Average 277.4
Dairy Cows – 7 Sold – Top 246, Average 204.0

Store & Breeding Cattle – 101 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A decent number of cattle on a quiet week but a huge variation with different shapes, sizes and ages to suit all customers ringside on the day.
There is certainly strong demand being seen for older and stronger cattle to feed and the smaller, longer term, cattle look very well sold given the time of year, the weather and the shortage of fodder.
To kick off we had good-shaped Friesian bulls 14 – 16 mths from R T J B & I Lockwood to £1140 with Friesian steers from the same home to £1460. Smart Simmental cross steers 10 mths to £1300 from M G Izard, and Devon steers 10 mths from G Husk to £1070. Well put together Limousin x Friesian heifers 12 mths from H W Clayson to £1400 and a cracking run of Aberdeen Angus crosses 10 – 12 mths from F Pearce & Sons top at £1470 for the steers and £1400 for the heifers. Monster Aberdeen Angus crosses 20 -23 mths from A R Dunlop take top call with the steers to £2370 and the heifers to £2250. Limousin heifers to £2190 from AJ Thompson & Sons. B Sutton topping at £1910 for 19 mth Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers, Blue X Friesian steers 20m £1880. Hard Aberdeen Angus cross 15 mths from E Carter – Griffiths topped at £1670 and smart Limousin cross heifers 22 mths from T Martin topping at £1760.
Please do inform me of any store and breeding cattle you have to sell in the coming weeks with a large sale coming together already for Tuesday 24^th February.

Principal prices include:

Continental:

British Blue x Friesian steers 20mths – £1880  – B Sutton
Limousin cross steers 19mths – £1770 – A J Thompson & Sons
Limousin cross heifers 23 mths – £2190 – A J Thompson & Sons
Limousin cross heifers23 mths – £1760 – T Martin

Native:

Aberdeen Angus cross steers 23 mths – £2370 – A R Dunlop
Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers 19 mths – £1880 – B Sutton
Aberdeen Angus cross heifers 33 mths – £2250 – A R Dunlop

Aberdeen Angus x Friesian heifers 19 mths – £1910 – B Sutton

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 – 36 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A solid pig trade seen throughout with trade back nationally which can often be the case this time of year, after the production disruption of Christmas and New Year. Better times ahead, when, and if, we start to see warmer weather and some sunshine then things tend to lift again.
Top call went to A P & P C Rose with a 100 kg Duroc gilt to 170p per kg and £170 per head. H W Richards in close attendance topping at £150.50 per head for well fleshed continental gilts weighing 107.5kg. Majority of the other finished 120p – 160p per kg. Saddleback stores from L A Burgess top at £52 per head with just a few cull sows penned which remain hard to shift. The best results are seen in the finished section for continental/white types weighing 80 – 100kg with plenty of cover.
Please get in touch to let us know what pigs you will have for Tuesday 24^th February.  

 

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