Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 4th November 2025

Sheep Sales Reports

New Season Lambs – 731 Sold

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

Top price per kilo – 393p – Miss Amy Hedges, East Sussex.
Top price per head – £200.00 – Miss Amy Hedges, East Sussex.

A very small entry of lambs today with entries dropping in the finished sections across, certainly, the South of the country, as supplies are running short and favourable prices are achievable in the store ring.
Tighter supplies have helped to boost prices back to where we would like them to stay, with rates some £10 up on the week on some of the heavier sorts. Supply and demand will rule the trade, each and every week, and when they go short, they get dearer (if they don’t, it’s a worry!). Top of the tree today was Miss Amy Hedges with some cracking lambs topping at £200 and 393p kg for different pens of well-fed shapely continentals. All the lambs were about £5 dearer on the week, with even the lighter weights finding more demand but not necessarily to go to slaughter as the equivalent store prices are so strong. Overall, the average price was returned at 316p kg which sits within the normal range, not seen for a considerable number of weeks, with finished lambs generally selling from 300-350p kg  throughout this year.

34 – £119.00 (350p kg) – B A Kirk Engineering Ltd
35 – £117.00 (334p kg) – G L Harris
36 – £126.00 (350p kg) – G L Harris
37 – £128.00 (346p kg) – Bruce Porter
38 – £132.00 (347p kg) – D Thompson
39 – £136.00 (349p kg) – P Tampin
40 – £154.00 (385p kg) – Lovejoy Farms Partnership
41 – £137.00 (334p kg) – Agricald
42 – £165.00 (393p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
43 – £145.00 (337p kg) – Wey Street Farm LLP
44 – £146.00 (332p kg) – Lucy Chantler
45 – £149.00 (331p kg) – Mrs T Higgins
46 – £148.00 (322p kg) – C W Avery
47 – £161.00 (343p kg) – S P Howland
48 – £167.00 (348p kg) – L E Humphreys & Sons
49 – £167.00 (341p kg) – S P Howland
50 – £172.50 (345p kg) – R G Hobbs Farms Ltd
51 – £169.00 (331p kg) – R G Hobbs Farms Ltd
52 – £200.00 (385p kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
53 – £161.00 (304p kg) – H G Tompsett & Sons Ltd
56 – £176.00 (314p kg) – S P Howland
Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 97 – Top 350, Ave. 338.3
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 331 – Top 393, Ave. 312.7
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 220 – Top 385, Ave. 318.6
Others 52.1 + – 67 – Top 314, Ave. 287.9

Cull Sheep – 446 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Top price: £228.00 – P J Bull, East Sussex. – Ave. £125.17

Another super trade with a few less in the pens and more buyers present.
The best regularly £150 – £180, to £228 from P J Bull for Texels, with G Nairn in close attendance with Charollais crosses to £215. Medium sorts £120 – £140 on most occasions with leaner grazing types £80 – £110 with only a very few sold below these figures.
A better fleshed show this week has certainly improved averages but all ewes are a great trade and more could easily be sold.
Please do inform me of any large consignments you have to sell in the coming weeks.  

Top prices included:

Texel to £228 – P J Bull, Charollais cross to £215 – G Nairn, Suffolk cross to £200 – S T Phillips, Texel cross to £190 – J Hooker & Son, Mules to £149 – L E Humphreys & Sons, Romneys to £145 – H V Link Partnership.

Cattle Reports

Finished Cattle –  39 Sold
Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357.

Just a touch firmer after a lengthy period of consistency perhaps suggesting that some processors will start to up their kills in readiness for Christmas.
Not the smartest of entries overall this week with cattle generally a little short of finish, and certainly more feeders within the section.
A smart Bazadaise heifer from W Alexander (Shoreham) Ltd led the day at 406p, £2271, closely followed by their Limousin heifer at 397p, £2201.
Top run, undoubtedly, from Alan Down whose show of well fleshed Limousin x British Friesian steers contained several outstandingly shaped examples selling to 395p (twice) £2466. Other dairy bred steers saw Blues from W F Farms sell to 353p, £2714.
Commercial natives generally 350-365p, whilst several Galloway feeding steers from Langrish Farmers selling well at 350p, £1992.
A leaner Sussex young bull 328p, £1818 well sold from John Hickman.

Top Steers

A J Down – Limousin cross – 395p (£2466)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 395p (£2288)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 385p (£2461)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 384p (£2359)
A J Down – Limousin cross – 382p (£2442)

Top Heifers

W Alexander (Shoreham) – Bazadaise cross – 406p (£2271)
W Alexander (Shoreham) – Limousin cross – 397p (£2201)
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde D’Aquitaine cross – 375p (£2341)
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 358p (£1931)
W S Furnival Ltd – Aberdeen Angus cross – 365p (£1937)

Average prices

Steers 200 to 550 kg – 5 – Top 355p – Ave. 337p
Steers 551 to 650 kg – 20 – Top 395p – Ave. 362p
Steers 651 kg + – 4 – Top 375p – Ave. 356p
Heifers 300 to 500 kg – 1 – Top 355p – Ave. 355p
Heifers 501 to 590 kg – 6 – Top 406p – Ave. 368p
Heifers 591 kg + – 2 – Top 375p – Ave. 362p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 68 Sold

Disappointing not to see more culls coming through as we move into November but a clear sign that numbers are desperately tight, and after a lengthy period of terrific prices herds are, not surprisingly, tidy. Scanning is well underway with mixed results with a hard summer and blue tongue activity likely to be factors. This is the time to sell your empty cows as the feeding men have full confidence in the future.
Good meat Stabiliser meat cows to 300p, £2223, with feeding Limousin youngsters to 350p, £2026 both from K I Lingham & Son. Commercial cows of all ages a tremendous trade and another excellent result for the minority breeds which were well represented.
Limousin 350p, 328p, £2026, £1981 K I Lingham & Son; Simmental 300p, £1632 J Tassell; Stabiliser 299p, 295p, £2223, £2123 K I Lingham & Son; Sussex 270p, £1873 J Howie; Angus 270p, £1757 J Tassell; Trad Hereford 255p, 251p, £1463, £1340 Grace Natural Foods; Dexter 252p, £1522 J Howie; Longhorn 247p, £1467 J Tassell; Highland 246p, £1313 Rosie Ross.
A few more dairy culls this week and beginning to carry a little more cover as they benefit from the winter ration. No stopping the trade, and with the milk price having eased back time to select the poorer performers. Some enormous Black & Whites selling to £2479, £2434, £2421 from J Skinner having enjoyed a lazy summer whilst working cows from J Boyd & Sons to 259p, £2060. More wanted.
British Friesian 279p, 268p (2) £2479, £2434, £2421 J Skinner; Holstein Friesian 259p, 258p, 246p, £2060, £2029, £1964 J Boyd & Son; Flekvieh 238p, £1532 Plurenden Ptnrs; Jersey 208p, 190p, 186p, £1131, £891 Hickson Bros; Foreign Danish Red 208p, £1421.
Overage (28) A grand show of overage with some real heavyweights, and good feeders, on offer. Buyers present in force to compete for the wide range in specifications. A very good result.
Sussex OTM steers 342p, 340p, 338p, 335p, 334p, £2014, £2008, £2003, £2001 Jack Merricks (Elmley); Sussex OTM heifers 336p, £2063 H W Richards, 328p, £1523 K & P M Sinden; Hereford OTM heifers 316p, 308p (2) £2414, £2322, £2224, Hereford OTM steers 298p, 297p, £2469, £2416 J Skinner; Sussex 3+ heifer 320p, £1853, Friesian 3+ steer 208p, £2014, Hereford 3+ steer 322p, £1961 R Scott.
Stock Bulls (2) Good Trade. Older Sussex bull 220p, £1954; Lean Hereford 168p, £1198.

Beef Cows – 20 Sold – Top 350, Average 268.9
Dairy Cows – 18 Sold – Top 368, Average 231.3

Store & Breeding Cattle – 101 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

A smaller show in the pens today with the majority of the cattle penned younger, and longer term sorts, as opposed to the stronger sorts that we have been seeing in recent weeks.
To start we had Hereford steers from S P Howland 11 mths to £1190 and heifers from the same home to £960. A lovely run from Goodwin Bros saw their Limousin steers 7-8 mths top at £1400 with the heifers to £1310. Sussex heifers 15 mths from P J Goldsmith to £1100. I D Machin had harder rough coated Blue x Friesian heifers 16 mths topping at £1480 with others £1320 from the same home. Stronger Limousin cross steers 24 mths from P M Langridge to £1990 followed by Limousin cross steers 20 mths from R J Husk to £2030 and taking top spot on the day.
We have a large show next week on Tuesday 11^th November with 400 plus expected so if you have cattle to sell get you entries in.

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, the local immediate option at Denimex no longer exists. Local authority inspectors will be taking note as stock comes to market.

Store & Finished Pigs – 13 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07780133678

Just a small show again this week with the only finished forward from C K Guest topping at 198p per kg and £188 per head for smart gilts. Finished boars from the same home to 178p per kg and a pen of Continental stores from Frogholt Farm to £65 per head.
Cull boars and sows remain hard to shift with a very limited local customer base.
Please do inform me of any pigs you have to sell on Tuesday 18^th November.   

Tuesday Livestock – 11th November 2025

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

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