Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 27th May 2025

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs –889 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 391p kg – Mr C Field, East Sussex.
Top price per head – £165.00 Masters Farms, East Sussex.

Lamb entries increasing each week with numbers pushing closer towards the 1,000 mark for the first time this year. Trade is certainly not as easy as it was 12 months ago, but let us be honest, what is the same as it was 12 months ago? The trade is moving between 320p kg and 350p kg with some of the lighter sorts able to go higher and nearly to 400p kg. We are still in the transition period of the hogget crop being fully replaced by new season lamb which is always a tricky time to forecast market requirements. I would suggest that most processors will still handle some of both until the upcoming Muslim festival is completed. Numbers will continue to climb each week with more and more of the first draws coming earlier following the good growing conditions we have seen in recent times.

32 – £125.00 (391p kg) – C Field
34 – £120.00 (353p kg) – E J Clough
37 – £130.00 (351p kg) – E J Clough
38 – £128.00 (337p kg) – J Howie
39 – £140.00 (359p kg) – C Field
40 – £130.00 (325p kg) – Messrs P H Hope
41 – £135.00 (329p kg) – Friday Street Farmers
42 – £140.00 (333p kg) – Masters Farms
43 – £140.00 (326p kg) – David Clark (Farms) Ltd
44 – £140.00 (318p kg) – Masters Farms
45 – £146.00 (324p kg) – David Clark (Farms) Ltd
46 – £145.00 (315p kg) – Masters Farms
47 – £152.00 (323p kg) – Masters Farms
48 – £148.00 (308p kg) – Masters Farms
49 – £154.00 (314p kg) – M J Ashworth
50 – £155.00 (310p kg) – Masters Farms
51 – £148.00 (290p kg) – Masters Farms
52 – £157.00 (302p kg) – Masters Farms
53 – £150.00 (283p kg) – A & S Woodford & Sons
62 – £165.00 (266p kg) – Masters Farms

Averages (p/kg) 

Light 25.6 to 3.2 kgs – 8 – Top 250, Ave. 219.0
Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 154 – Top 391, Ave. 346.0
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 407 – Top 333, Ave.314.1
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 305 – Top 324, Ave. 307.6

Finished Hoggets – 982 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 310p kg – J Wayman, Surrey.
Top price per head – £190.00 – B J Baker, East Sussex

A very mixed entry of hoggs today with almost 1000 penned and almost 250 of these with erupted teeth, certainly an impact on the averages. All manner of sizes, quality and shape were in the pens but, overall, the trade was acceptable. Lighter hoggs are being replaced by new season lambs in many situations and, again, there was more heavy types on offer than there was demand. Numbers in this section are going to ease off in the coming weeks and ,overall, the season has gone relatively well.

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 40 – Top 310.0 – Ave. 267.0
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 131 – Top 308.0 – Ave. 283.5
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 241 – Top 302.0 – Ave. 260.5
Others over 52.1 kgs – 328 – Top 280.0 – Ave. 235.8

 

Cull Sheep – 438 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewe: £220.00 – B J Baker, East Sussex. – Ave. £126.99

Trade positive but rates a little easier with large numbers having already been put together ahead of the Festival. The best regularly £140 – £160 and to a top price of £220 for strong Charollais from B J Baker. Medium sorts £110 – £130 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £70 – £100 throughout with only very few sold below these figures.
All ewes wanted every week with buyers present for all grades.

Top prices included:

Charollais to £220 – B J Baker, Texel cross to £184 – W Mandry Ltd, Beltex to £180 – L Bernard, Mules to £150 – J Wayman, Romneys to £145 – R Bristow.

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 Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  43 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

Another decent trade with good competition. Rates, perhaps, a few pence back but contrasting with the big supermarket processors who have knocked lumps off their prices for 3 weeks now in order to drive fear and uncertainty into producer`s minds. It is strange that we have this dichotomy in agriculture but, perhaps, it is a worrying trend developing between government and big business to control food prices to the benefit of consumers?
In the pig world, admittedly, Cranswick Food has now close to a million pigs out of a national population of 3.3m and made a profit of £158m – and family farm businesses, and small and medium sized meat processors cannot get any support from anyone!!
Again, some very smart heifers over 400p at the top end from W Alexander (Shoreham)Ltd and R F & E A Simmons whilst stronger beef bred steers and heifers from Dan Mackelden and John Berryman sold well to 375p, £2734 and 384p, £2486 respectively.
Dairy bred cattle saw Limousin x to 379p, £2235, Hereford x to 354p, £2192 and Friesians to 349p, £2108 from Alan Down. Angus x Friesian steers from the Owen family to 363p, £2177. Fewer natives today with an outstanding Sussex  to 396p topping the steers overall at 396p, £2347 from Dan Mackelden Ltd.

Leading steer prices

Top Steers

Dan Mackelden Ltd – Sussex – 396p (£2195)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 379p (£2082)
Dan Mackelden Ltd – Sussex – 376p (£2347)
Dan Mackelden Ltd – Charolais cross – 375p (£2584)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 375p (£2191)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 414p (£2005)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 408p (£1936)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 407p (£1931)
R F & E A Simmons – Limousin cross – 403p (£2053)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 403p (£1992)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 2 – Top 379p – Ave. 369p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 19 – Top 396p – Ave. 358p
Steers 651 kg + – 3 – Top 375p – Ave. 372p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 7 – Top 414p – Ave. 394p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 9 – Top 403p – Ave. 362p
Heifers 591 kg + – 2 – Top 384p – Ave. 383p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 52 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

The RECORD PRICE for a cull cow was blown apart today with an absolute monster of a Simmental x cow from Philip Thomas at Cranbrook which weighing 1230 kg, made 297p kg, to realise a colossal £3647.
We had a decent entry after the Bank Holiday with a few notable meat cows but a few older, empty, hard grazing types. Trade fully maintaining rates with the feeders, perhaps, helped by recent rains.
British Blue x 304p, 286p, £2155, £1813 M L Williams; Limousin x 304p, £1513 R J Husk; Simmental x 298p, 297p, 286p, £3647, £2618, £2498 P M Thomas; Angus x 297p, 280p, 270p, £1698, £1660, £1607 R Brown, 290p, 280p, 278p, £1719, £1637, £1635 J Bayly, 290p £1476 E Jolliffe; Sussex 296p, £1936 Torry Hill Farms, 278p, £2095 P Dumbreck, 270p, £1577 M D Lott; Parthenais x 275p, £1523 J Batchelor & Ptnrs.
Only a handful of culls from the dairy but no change here.
Holstein Friesian 258p, 255p, £1985, £1584 J W Boyd & Sons; Holstein 247p, £239p, £1886, £1777 P J Forknall; Jersey 214p, 185p, £1003, £904, 162p, £872 S E Lane & Ptnrs.
Overage (12) Good meat forward and plenty of trade for mostly over 3 year old cattle.
Aberdeen Angus x British Blue 3+ heifer 377p, £2560, Charolais x 3+ heifer 363p, £2393, Hereford x 3+ steers 351p, 350p, £2534, £2348 J Berryman; Holstein Friesian 3+ steers 291p, 287p, 281p, £2149, £2005, £1893 R Scott.

Beef Cows – 33 Sold – Top 304, Average 258.8
Dairy Cows – 7 Sold – Top 258, Average 222.9

 

Store & Breeding Cattle – 78 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Just a few penned this week with numbers now looking short as we move into the summer months having sold large numbers throughout the spring.
Blue x Friesian steers 10 mths from P Lanham to £940 and Sussex steers 12 mths from K Hawes to £1310. A run of hard farmed White Parks 12 – 24 mths to £890 for the steers and the heifers to £600 from the same home. A smart Limousin cross steer 24 mths to £1720 from R J Husk and smart Angus cross steers 14 mths from D G & J H Jackson top at £1750.
Please inform me of any store or breeding cattle you intend on selling in the coming weeks so we can inform potential buyers.

Calves 23 – Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

A disappointing day in terms of numbers but, perhaps, not surprising at this time of the year when summer milk is less in demand.
A very large company of potential purchasers around the ring and all grades a strong trade.
Angus x bulls from A & W J Hitchcock to £390, £385, and £370, their heifers to £290. Blue x bulls from Hickson Bros to £250 and £225, heifers to £225, £195, £190. A South Devon heifer calf from A & H Edmonds at £360.
Good interest in the weaned calves with a nice dual purpose Shorthorn steer from Garrett & Mannerings at £520; Limousin x heifers from Tracey Higgins to £460.

Cattle Passports
We remind producers that on no occasion should the details on a cattle passport be changed other than by returning it to BCMS.
If details are incorrect return and advise BCMS or advise the auctioneers on market day without writing on the passport.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 3rd June 2025

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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