Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 13th January 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 1,600 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 393p – Lovejoy Farms Partnership, Kent.
Top price per head – £187.00 C Watkins, East Sussex.

More hoggs on offer, nationally and at Ashford this week, with the poor weather of the last 7 days pushing more vendors into a selling mood.
Trade has eased as a result of the bigger numbers and the reduced retail demand now that the Christmas/New Year period is behind us, and we get back to “normal”.
Our entry was quite mixed in quality terms, with something of every description on offer, which does hit averages. Dry and dagged hoggets well supported, wet and dirty more difficult. Top end heavy hoggs are in the £160-180 price bracket with top spot on the day taken by Mr Colin Watkins at £187 head. The SQQ averages were at 320p kg today which is back on the last couple of weeks but with a huge percentage of native bred types falling into the category this week, this is hardly surprising. Best continental handy weight lambs are generally over 350p kg and these topped out today at 397p kg with a super pen of shapely hoggs from Lovejoy Farm Partnership.

33 – £116.00 (352p kg) – P J Gilbert Limited
35 – £120.00 (343p kg) – Port View Farm Ltd
36 – £127.00 (353p kg) – Port View Farm Ltd
37 – £123.00 (332p kg) – A & C Price
38 – £131.00 (345p kg) – D Barnwell
39 – £132.00 (338p kg) – S J F Agriculture
40 – £157.00 (393p kg) – Lovejoy Farms Partnership
41 – £145.50 (355p kg) – Langdon Farms
42 – £142.00 (338p kg) – Lovejoy Farms Partnership
43 – £142.00 (330p kg) – H & J Noakes
44 – £149.00 (339p kg) – C H Ellis Ltd
45 – £150.50 (334p kg) – Langdon Farms
46 – £159.00 (346p kg) – D Barnwell
47 – £161.00 (343p kg) – D Barnwell
48 – £160.00 (333p kg) – Birt Bros
49 – £152.00 (310p kg) – D Barnwell
50 – £165.00 (330p kg) – D Barnwell
51 – £159.00 (312p kg) – C H Ellis Ltd
52 – £161.50 (311p kg) – P Bates
53 – £167.00 (315p kg) – D Barnwell
54 – £146.00 (270p kg) – R F & E A Simmons
55 – £170.00 (309p kg) – C Watkins
56 – £169.00 (302p kg) – C H Ellis Ltd
57 – £169.50 (297p kg) – P Bates
59 – £170.50 (289p kg) – C Watkins
60 – £170.00 (283p kg) – D Moss
61 – £174.00 (285p kg) – C Watkins
65 – £187.00 (288p kg) – C Watkins

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 301 – Top 353, Ave. 329.3
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 548 – Top 393, Ave. 316.7
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 520   – Top 346, Ave. 306.4
Others 52.1 + – 207 – Top 315, Ave. 291.5

Store sheep 477 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Top price head – £130.00 G W Fuller & Son, Kent.

Not the best show of quality on offer in this section for the first proper store hogget sale of the season but those better bred sheep that were penned certainly held the trade that we had been used to in the autumn.
Best stores generally over £120, with the overall averages at £113 head, and topping at £130  from G W Fuller & Son. Only lesser types selling below £100 head.
More stores are wanted each week with still quite a lot of keep available to finishers out there and several buyers still keen to get some numbers to sell later in the season.

Cull Sheep – 545 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewes: £200.00 – P N & C Burden, Kent. – Ave. £125.78

More in the pens this week with a firm trade throughout despite a lower percentage of the best fleshed sorts forward.
The best ewes regularly £140 – £170 and to a top price of £200 for strong Suffolk crosses from P N & C Burden. Medium sorts £110 – £140 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £80 – £110. Only a very few sold below these figures.
We have customers present every week for all grades so do not hesitate to get in contact if you have any large consignments of ewes to sell in the coming weeks.

Top prices included:

Suffolk cross to £200 – P N & C Burden, Texels to £198 – Link Bros, Texel cross to £158 – S T Phillips, Mules to £149 – H G Tompsett & Sons, Romneys to £144 – K Loveridge.

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 –  58 Sold
Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Another good number of finished cattle but fewer of the best beef bred types and more dairy bred cattle in the overall entry. Trade not dissimilar, but with more cattle now coming forward in the top half of the country after the snow disruption more downward force on the January trade.
A very smart Blue x Limousin heifer from D W Ferguson Ltd clearly topping the day at 422p, £2424 with the best Limousin steer from A J Thompson & Sons at 393p, £2210. Generally nice bred and fed types 370-400p. Strong fleshed continental heifers from John Berryman to 376p, £2508.
A big show of dairy bred cattle met a good solid trade with good flesh required by wholesalers. British Blue x Friesian heifer 380p, £2182 from R C & J L Pickering. Alan Down`s quality Limousin x Friesian steers to 375p, £2447, generally 365-370p, with a Hereford to 360p, £2103 and Limousin heifer 362p, £2006. A fine run of Blue x Friesian heifers from J S & M D Antrum & Son to 350p, £2481 (5 av 345.8p £2270). Several Black & White heifers forward today selling to 328p, £2031 D Murdoch & Son.
A nice entry of fleshed natives with smart Angus from Leggat Farming seeing steers to 389p, £2370, heifers to 370p, £2133. Sussex steers to 364p, £2107 A B Jones & Partners.
A well finished young Limousin x Friesian bull to 376p, £2347 from A J Down.

Top Steers

A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 393p (£2080)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 389p (£2370)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 375p (£2303)
A J Thompson & Sons – Limousin cross – 375p (£2210)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 371p (£2334)

Top Heifers

D W Ferguson Ltd – British Blue cross – 422p (£2424)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 395p (£2249)
R C & J L Pickering & Sons – British Blue cross – 380p (£2182)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Aberdeen Angus – 376p (£2384)
J Berryman – Limousin cross – 376p (£2347)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 3 – Top 393p – Ave. 361p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 20 – Top 389p – Ave. 364p
Steers 651 kg + – 1 – Top 363p – Ave. 363p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 20 – Top 422p – Ave. 354p
Heifers 591 kg + – 13 – Top 376p – Ave. 356p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 69 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Another excellent number of cows and culls, and good to see a higher proportion of fed, fleshed cows coming out to meet the strengthening home demand for manufacturing beef, and the premium export market for the heavyweight fleshed cows.
Trade first class with a large number of buyers for both the meat cows and the feeding types.
Smart younger feeding types flying past 350p kg and good feeders over 300p whilst decent meat cows either side of 300p and grossing up close to £2500 for beef heavyweights.
British Blue 365p, £1768 D G & J W Gore, 316p, £1956 C R Cook, 296p, £2482 Birt Bros; Sussex 302p, 294p, 278p, £1893, £1707 D G & J W Gore, 265p, £1693 N A Balcomb & Son, 264p, 252p, £1911, £1856 K & E Dean, 254p, 240p, £1844, £1813 A H Hoad & Son, 252p, £1924 C R Cook, 248p, £1559 G Husk; Limousin 292p, £2274 L E Humphreys & Sons, 290p, £1520 D G & J W Gore, 266p, £1845 Birt Bros; Simmental 280p, £2124 L E Humphreys & Sons, 259p, 255p, £1871, £1835 C R Cook, 255p, £1489 P Tassell; Hereford 276p, £1846 R C & J L Pickering; Devon 275p, £1565 C R Cook; Angus 275p, £1990 C R Cook, 248p, 238p, £2031, £1955 R J & C M Greengrow; Longhorn 267p, £1706 C R Cook; Beef Shorthorn 256p, £2018 C R Cook; Galloway 235p,  £1524 C R Cook.
Some very good cows amongst the entry from the dairy sector. Dried off and fed rings the bell with best heavyweights over 240p and over £2000 head. Lean cows look very well sold at 180-220p.
Holstein Friesian 246p, 242p, 240p, £2084, £1956, £1939 J S & M D Antrum; 243p, £2231 D Murdoch & Sons; Holstein 221p, 219p, £1764, £1715 P J Forknall; Jersey 174p, £815 C Sugden.
Stock Bull (1) A tremendous Black Limousin at 250p, £3468.
Overage (8) Demand very strong whether to feed or kill.
Sussex OTM heifer 341p, £1839 D G & J W Gore; British Blue x Friesian OTM steer 328p, £1900 C Kearl; Sussex 3+ heifers 321p, 318p, £1619, £1570 D G & J W Gore; Angus 3+ heifer 311p, £2422 Birt Bros; Lincoln Red 3+ heifer 310p, £2043 N Morgan; Friesian 3+ steer 299p, £1881 C Kearl.

Beef Cows – 46 Sold – Top 365, Average 256.4
Dairy Cows – 13 Sold – Top 246, Average 211.6

Store & Breeding Cattle – 42 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A small but a marvellous trade with considerable variety in the pens this week with stores of all shapes and sizes to suit most customers.
J A Biddle had 9 – 10 mths Aberdeen Angus steers to £1080 followed by heifers from the same home to £980. Smart Simmental cross heifers 9 mths to £1380 from E Chantler & Son. Hereford cross steers 10 mths to £1250 H Clayson.
Beef Shorthorn steers 28 mths to £1840 from J Muscat, and smart Aberdeen Angus steers 21 mths from D R Miles topping at £1950. Top spot was for strong Charolais x Sussex steers 28 mths at £2240 from D M Brown.
Please inform us of any store or breeding cattle that you intend on selling in the coming weeks with entries building for a larger sale on Tuesday 27^th January.

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 –  26 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Our first sale in 2026 with a good variety in the pens, and something to suit every customer.
Top call went to High Barn Farm with well finished white gilts to £161.50 per head and 170p per kg, followed by East Sutton Park Prison with Duroc crosses to 140p per kg. Saddleback crosses from A Hubbard to £103 per head with native bred types remaining harder to sell.
The best results are seen with well finished continental types that range between 85 – 100kg.
Please inform us of pigs you have going forward with the next sale on Tuesday 27^th January.

 

Tuesday Livestock 20th January

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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