Ashford Market Report – Tuesday 5th December 2023

Sheep Sales Reports

Auctioneer: John Rossiter 07557 392903

New Season Lambs – 1,495 Sold

Top price per kg: 604p – A Town
Top price per head: £290 – A Town

A great entry of sheep this week with the Ashford Primestock Show taking place, with all the show lambs being offered for sale alongside nearly 1,500 commercial lambs. Trade in this commercial section was a little harder than we have seen in recent weeks due to increased numbers on offer, here and elsewhere, and no real increase in wholesale meat demand nationally at this stage of the year. Overall, the averages were 250p kg, which is in line with other centres, and reflecting the high number of very wet and dirty sheep on offer following the recent adverse weather.

In the show pens the headlines were taken by show expert Andy Town, once again, taking both the Supreme Champion and the Reserve Champion this year. These Beltex lambs weighed 48kg and 56kg respectively and sold for £290 and £210 head. Congratulations to Andy once again and thank you to all who exhibited, judged, and purchased animals in the show. A full report of the show and the prize winners will be issued next week.

36kg – £105.00 (292p/kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
38kg – £119.00 (313p/kg) – G P King
39kg – £110.00 (282p/kg) – H & J Noakes
40kg – £120.00 (300p/kg) – C A Worley Farming Ltd
41kg – £158.00 (385p/kg) – Ashley Pickford
42kg – £145.00 (345p/kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
43kg – £114.00 (265p/kg) – A J Skinner & Son
44kg – £145.00 (330p/kg) – Miss Amy Hedges
45kg – £136.00 (302p/kg) – N A Balcomb & Son
46kg – £130.00 (283p/kg) – J Bull
47kg – £137.00 (291p/kg) – T Lyle & Psrtners
48kg – £290.00 (604p/kg) – A Town
49kg – £138.00 (282p/kg) – A Denning
50kg – £156.00 (312p/kg) – Ashley Pickford
51kg – £146.00 (286p/kg) – Snowfields Academy
52kg – £129.00 (248p/kg) – G P King
53kg – £159.00 (300p/kg) – Snowfields Academy
54kg – £134.00 (248p/kg) – S King
55kg – £146.00 (265p/kg) – T Lyle & Partners
56kg – £210.00 (375/kg) – A Town 

Averages (p/kg)

Standard 32.1 to 39 kgs – 147 – Top 313, Average 249.1
Medium 39.1 to 45.5 kgs – 701 – Top 385, Average 251.4
Heavy 45.6 to 52 kgs – 572 – Top 604, Average 248.1
Other 52.1+ kgs – 62 – Top 375, Average 250.7

Cull Sheep – 223 Sold

Auctioneer: James Cook-O’Connell 07712 246474

Ewe: Top £168.00 – Jan Boomaars – Ave £77.34
Ram: Top £132.00 – Jan Boomaars – Ave £94.67

Less numbers, as to be expected, on our annual Ashford Primestock Show week. A firmer trade from start to finish with the best ewes £90 – £120 on most occasions and to a top price of £168 for superb Texel ewes from Mr Jan Boomaars. Medium sorts regularly £70 – £90 and leaner grazing types £40 – £60 throughout with very few of these on offer on the day. Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you have ewes to sell in the coming weeks.

Top prices included

Texels to £168 – Jan Boomaars, Texel cross to £143 – C A Worley Farming Ltd, Suffolk cross to £123 – C R & G D Daws, Beltex to £119 – C A Worley Farming Ltd, Romney to £91 – Langrish Farmers, Mules to £76 – R & S L M Smith

 

Cattle Sales Reports

Finished Cattle –  54 Sold

Auctioneer: Elwyn Davies 07710 803901

A strong trade throughout with prize winners, as listed below, achieving great reward. Superb Continental cross cattle from S Marsh took top honours and purchased by Simon Husk and Romford Halal Meats, Upminster.
In the native bred section, an Aberdeen Angus cross took the best butchers beast selling at £1796 (305p) from F S Husk with other top prices including Angus cross heifer £1679 (290p) from S Marsh, Beef Shorthorn steer £1725 (268p) from The North School Farm YFC and Sussex steer £1623 (278p) from W S Furnival Ltd and £1626 (265p) from L Stevens & Sons.
A small entry of commercial penned cattle followed with smart Limousin cross steer topping at £1874 (298p) from W Alexander (Shoreham) and well fleshed Limousin x Friesian steers looked well were keenly sought after up to £1597 (276p) and Hereford x Friesian to £1656 (272p) from A J Down.

Top Steers

S Marsh – British Blue cross – 365p/kg (£2460) – Champion opposite sex
Snowfields Academy – Limousin cross – 340p/kg (£2257) – 1^st In class
FGS Agri Ltd – Limousin cross – 335p/kg (£2057) – 2^nd In class
Snowfields Academy – Limousin cross – 335p/kg (£2057) – Champion YFC beast
K Husk – Limousin cross – 330p/kg (£1927) – 3^rd In class

Top Heifers

S Marsh – British Blue cross – 425p/kg (£2440) – Champion
S Marsh – Limousin cross – 390p/kg (£2512) – Reserve Champion
FGS Agri Ltd – Simmental cross – 320p/kg (£1757) – 1^st In class
W G Vant & Sons – British Blue cross – 310p/kg (£1748) – 2^nd In class
G L Boulden & Sons – Blonde cross – 298p/kg (£1651) – 2^nd In class

Average Prices

Steers up to 550kg – 6 sold – Top 315p – Ave 250p
Steers over 551kg to 650kg – 29 sold – Top 335p – Ave 285p
Steers over 651kg – 6 sold – Top 365p – Ave 292p
Heifers up to 590kg – 13 sold – Top 425p – Ave 296p
Heifers over 591kg – 2 sold – Top 390p – Ave 340p

OTM Cattle and Cull Cows – 27 Sold

Auctioneer: Peter Kingwill 07795 200357

As is often the case on a show day there is a reduced entry of cows but a really good trade! Entry almost all from the dairy and whilst not heavy with flesh now beginning to show the benefit of being on a winter ration for some time.
Demand for processing beef will now begin to step as prime work, at least for the supermarket retailers, will be near completion and eyes will turn to New Year lines coupled with cheaper mince.
Just the pair of beef animals with Sussex to 158p, 137p, £1260.
From the dairy stronger steakers 130- 145p, with leaner types 115-130p and only a couple of plain cows just below 100p.
Huddlestone Farmers 145p, 138p, 134p, 130p, £1105, £997, £921, £907; J Warnock & Sons 140p, 139p, 136p, 133p, 130p, £1179, £1165, £1115, £1113; J W Boyd & Sons Ltd 144p, £933.
Overage (2) OTM Jersey steers 170p, £924

Beef Cows – 1 Sold – Top 137, Average 137
Dairy Cows –23 Sold – Top 145, Average 124.9

Calves – 34 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Calves sold – 31. A smaller quality entry for the show day with trade lifting on the fortnight. Bulls topped by a lovely run of Blues from J E Scutt & Sons to £330 and £310 with J W Boyd & Sons Ltd run also topping at £310. Angus selling well with £280 tops to A & W J Hitchcock and £260 from Kingcott Dairy. Heifers also up another gear with Blues to £300 from J E Scutt & Sons and £270 from J W Boyd & Sons Ltd. Angus to £200 from A & W J Hitchcock.
Dairy calves just a touch dearer with a strong Holstien Friesian to £95 from A & W J Hitchcock and bobbies to £35 from Kingcott Dairy.
Weanlings – 3 sold. Three lovely steers from Garrett & Mannerings this week selling to £500 for a smart 6 month old traditional Shorthorn, with their Blue Albion selling to £480. Average price for weaned steers £467!

Bull Calves

British Blue cross – 11 – Ave £252.27 – Top £330 – J E Scutt & Sons Ltd
Aberdeen Angus cross – 6 – Ave £210 – Top £280 – A & W J Hitchcock
Holstein Friesian – 1 – Ave £95 – Top £95 – A & W J Hitchcock

Heifer Calves

British Blue cross – 8 – Ave £207.50 – Top £300 – J E Scutt & Sons
Aberdeen Angus cross – 3 – Ave £143.33 – Top £200 – A & W J Hitchcock

Steer Weanlings

Blue Albion – 1 – Ave £480 – Top £480 – Garratt & Mannerings
Dairy Shorthorn – 2 – Ave £460 – Top £500 – Garratt & Mannerings

Store & Finished Pigs – 26 Sold

Auctioneer: Tom Hamplett 07966 104532

Finished – (16 Show Pigs and 10 commercial) A tremendous entry of both show and commercial finished pigs today selling to a sharp trade to average 192.99p all in! A big thank you must go to judge Andrew Laver who had the very difficult job of placing the marvellous entry on offer. Top price per kilo and a recent record price of 360p for the 1^st prized continental single and overall Champion, an outstanding Pietrain cross from Snowfields Academy weighing 74 kgs and returning £266.40 in the lump purchased by regular buyer G H E, Lydden. Reserve Champion came from the same home with the 1^st prized pair of butchers pigs selling for 280p or £196 per head purchased by Andrew Laver. First in the native bred class from Brockhill Park YFC sold for 180p or £216 per head purchased by Trigger Direct Ltd. Commercial pigs forward from Snowfields Academy weighing between 56 and 68 kgs sold to tops of 190p averaging 186p.
Please note, the next pig auction will be held on Tuesday 12^th December, this will be the last pig sale of the year with first sale of 2024 to be held on Tuesday 9^th January. Please advise of all entries as soon as possible.
A polite request to all vendors to please pre enter all pigs on the Monday morning prior to a pig sale. This is to help us to help you by ensuring that buyers are kept up to date with entries.

Forthcoming Auctions

Tuesday Livestock – 12th December 2023

Regular Weekly Market with a sale of Store and Breeding Cattle

For our Auction Calendar and Catalogues click here