Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 3rd March 2026

Sheep Sales Reports

Finished Hoggets – 1,479 sold.

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 404p – S J Reeve & Son, East Sussex.
Top price per head – £195.00 S J Reeve & Son, East Sussex.

A few more on offer than expected today with just about 1,500 hoggets penned, on what appeared to be the March version of Romney Day in Ashford.
Trade has, again, lifted just a little on the week, and despite the huge percentage of sheep on offer with woolly heads, the overall average was returned at a very satisfactory 360p kg. Best hoggs are over £4 kg again with a top price taken by S J Reeve & Son at 404p kg and £195 hd. This was one of the first Tuesdays, in maybe 8 weeks, where all the hoggets were dry in their fleeces and this certainly helps the prices per kilo that can be achieved. Lighter weight types average at 375p kg but the heavies improved with the first notable lift, these now selling from 320-340p kg and in many cases over £180 hd from S J Reeve &Son, R G Hobbs Farms, G A Mitchell & Son, and W Mandry Ltd. Numbers will lift more in the next few weeks but with the end of Ramadan on the horizon, trade should be able to hold and possibly improve. However the current level is ahead of last year and should not be turned down in favour of waiting….

Finished Hoggets

34 – £124.00 (365p kg) – G P King
36 – £133.00 (369p kg) – M & R Morton Ltd
37 – £141.00 (381p kg) – G P King
38 – £153.50 (404p kg) – S J Reeve & Son
39 – £151.00 (387p kg) – M & R Morton Ltd
40 – £158.00 (395p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
41 – £165.00 (402p kg) – S J Reeve & Son
42 – £155.00 (369p kg) – R F & E A Simmons
43 – £159.00 (370p kg) – G P King
44 – £166.00 (377p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
45 – £169.00 (376p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
46 – £168.00 (365p kg) – C W Avery
47 – £171.50 (365p kg) – Stone Farms Ltd
48 – £182.00 (379p kg) – R F & E A Simmons
49 – £173.00 (353p kg) – J A Farming
50 – £179.00 (358p kg) – W Mandry Ltd
51 – £173.00 (339p kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
52 – £182.00 (350p kg) – W Mandry Ltd
53 – £175.00 (330p kg) – W Mandry Ltd
54 – £174.00 (322p kg) – R F & E A Simmons
55 – £178.00 (324p kg) – G A Mitchell & Son
56 – £187.00 (334p kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
57 – £183.00 (321p kg) – R G Hobbs Farms
58 – £184.00 (317p kg) – G A Mitchell & Son
61 – £174.00 (285p kg) – Horne & Son
62 – £195.00 (315p kg) – S J Reeve & Son

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 247 – Top 404, Ave. 374.7
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 672 – Top 402, Ave. 357.0
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 379 – Top 379, Ave. 346.2
Over 52.1 kg – 181 – Top 350, Ave. 313.7

Store Hoggets  323 – Sold

Auctioneers: John Rossiter 07557 392903.

Top price per head: £154.00 – K Tapley, Kent.

Tight numbers in this section with a lot of the hoggets having done well over the winter and coming finished. To be quite honest we have sold the majority of the stores already, and most flocks are now moving on to focusing on the next crop of lambs.
Trade is on fire here with stores topping at £154 hd and averaging over £120 again this week. 10 pens of store hoggets over £130 hd and even quite a few over £140. If you have stores to sell, get them out now as this trade cannot surely go higher than where we are currently at.

Cull Sheep – 434 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price ewes: £212.00 – A J W Smith & Son, Kent. Ave. £134.63

A bigger show this week with trade on a par, with more medium sorts on offer compared to the heavier sorts that remain in short supply.
The best generally £150 – £180 and to a top price on the day of £212 from A J W Smith & Son for strong Texel ewes. Medium sorts remaining the best sellers with majority £120 – £150 and leaner grazing types remain scarce selling well at £80 – £120 throughout, with only very few sold below these figures.
More ewes of all grades are wanted every week in order to satisfy regular buyers demands.

Top prices included:

Texels to £212 – A J W Smith & Son, Texel cross to £205 – J A Farming, Charollais to £189 – W F Kirk, Suffolk cross to £178 – J A Farming, Romneys to £165 – Miss Faye Pierce, Dorset to £160 – G L Porter & Son, Mules to £156 – W Mandry Ltd.

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 –  55 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A little more hesitancy in the trade this week as everyone weighs up the consequences of the Middle Eastern situation. Not surprising, of course, but we still have festivals around the corner and supplies remain tight so no major concerns. Trade logistics from Australia and New Zealand will impact on supplies as increased costs matter greatly to the big caterers and processors.
Rates certainly less but the overall quality was also not up to recent weeks with more Black & Whites and Holstein dairy bred cattle affecting averages.
Best beef bred types can still get close to 400p with Limousin heifers from D W Ferguson Ltd selling to 397p, £2161 whilst smart heavier Angus Blue steers and heifers from Birt Bros sold to 386p, £2506 and 380p, £2372, respectively. Better cattle generally 360-375p but shape and finish required.
Limousin x Friesian steers from A J Down 355- 360p, £2556, with their heifers to 362p, 358p, £2038, Hereford steer 344p, £2061. Blue x Holstein Friesian steers from B G & M A Tomsett to 358p, £2342. Dairy bred Angus steers and heifers 320-340p, with a few pure dairy steers and heifers 280-310p.
Good shaped and fleshed Angus and Sussex steers to 370p, £2494 & £2420 from Leggat Farming and C R Cook, respectively. Beef shorthorn steers 363p, £2302, heifers 359p, £2259 C R Cook. Angus heifers to 369p, £2405 C R Cook.

Leading steer prices

Birt Bros – Aberdeen Angus cross – 386p (£2506)
Birt Bros – Aberdeen Angus cross – 374p (£2372)
Leggat Farming Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 370p (£2494)
C R Cook – Sussex cross – 370p (£2420)
C R Cook – Beef Shorthorn cross – 363p (£2302)

Leading heifer prices       

D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 397p (£2161)
Birt Bros – British Blue cross – 380p (£2372)
W S Furnival Ltd – Limousin cross – 373p (£2421)
D W Ferguson Ltd – Limousin cross – 370p (£1995)
C R Cook – Aberdeen Angus cross – 369p (£2045)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 1 – Top 349p – Ave. 349p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 21 – Top 386p – Ave. 345p
Steers 651 kg + – 7 – Top 370p – Ave. 354p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 13 – Top 397p – Ave. 359p
Heifers 591 kg + – 13 – Top 380p – Ave. 343p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 35 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A small show of mostly dairy culls continue to meet a strong trade with signs nationwide of rapidly falling numbers as the beef herds continue calving, and the dairy sector looks towards better days as the weather improves.
Smart Blonde cows from Paul Boulden selling to 322p, 300p, £2546 & £2443 whilst heavyweight Simmentals from P M Thomas to a marvellous £2861, £2236 & £2096, 288p, 286p, 280p. Younger Simmental feeders to 280p, £1691 D G & J W Gore.
A strong run of British Friesian cows well sold from B J Goodsell & Son to 250p (2), 245p (2), 244p, £1968, £1944, £1785, £1759, £1751; Brown Swiss 235p, £1489, Ayrshire 231p, 229p, 226p, £1475, £1428 J Howie.
Stock Bulls (2) Younger Charolais 256p, £2670; Older Sussex 216p, £2274.
Overage (9) Rates holding firm for this older, slightly cheaper, product. OTM Sussex heifer 316p, £1609 W J Hurley; OTM Norwegian Red heifer 305p, £1903, 3+ heifer 287p, £1719 D Murdoch & Son; 3+ Black & White steers 297p, 281p, 278p, 275p, 273p, £2234, £2210, £2179, £2174 R Scott.

Beef Cows – 7 Sold – Top 322, Average 286.6
Dairy Cows – 17 Sold – Top 250, Average 234.6

Store & Breeding Cattle – 5 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Only a handful this week in advance of next week’s large entry. All sold very well indeed.
Limousin steer 13 mths £1890 Ross Douglas; Welsh Black x Friesian steers 8 mths £790 Surrey Docks Farm; Sussex bull 21 mths £1680 S & N Bish.

Calves – 51 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

A good show of calves and though a few less customers around the ring, as many start or get ready for lambing, nothing wrong with the trade with strong competition throughout though not to the levels of a fortnight ago.
Continental bull calves £450-£600, heifers £400-£500 whilst Angus bulls generally £300- £480, heifers £250-£380. Crossbred older Blue calves saw heifers to £405, bulls to £355. A few crossbred Wagyu around £150.

Bull Calves
British Blue cross – 6 – Ave. £469.17 – Top £605.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Simmental cross – 3 – Ave. £491.67 – Top £525.00 – R & J Ledger Ltd
Limousin cross – 1 – Ave. £450.00 – Top £450.00 – A J Thompson & Sons
Aberdeen Angus cross – 8 – Ave. £384.38 – Top £480.00 – J Warnock & Sons
Holstein Friesian – 1 – Ave. £255.00 – Top £255.00 – J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.
Wagyu cross – 3 – Ave. £158.33 – Top £235.00 – Hickson Bros

Heifer Calves
British Blue cross – 12 – Ave. £428.33 – Top £560.00 – W G & T A Manford
Charolais cross – 3 – Ave. £490.00 – Top £520.00 – P J Forknall
Simmental cross – 2 – Ave. £462.50 – Top £470.00 – R & J Ledger
Aberdeen Angus cross – 7 – Ave. £285.00 – Top £385.00 – R & J Ledger
Sussex cross – 2 – Ave. £432.50 – Top £535.00 – W G & T A Manford
Wagyu cross – 3 – Ave. £150.00 – Top £160.00 – Hickson Bros

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.

 

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