Weekly Sales News – 6th April 2021

Hoggets – Top price per head – £170 – T Husk: Top price per kilo – 355p – J Farrant

Milk Lambs – Top price per head and kilo – £150 & 370p – M Critcher & Ptnrs

Report on trade: What a trade! Possibly the highest averages we have seen in recent memory with all sheep included averaging 300p per kg and with SQQ figures even higher than that. The heavy hoggets are the sheep that have really taken a lift with some examples £15 to £20 dearer on the week. Many people ask how they can be so dear, but it appears that the same old story comes to the fore again with supply and demand ruling out any other reason. There are just less hoggets in the country in comparison to recent years and many large firms must fulfil their orders or risk losing their contracts. Even though this is the case, reports suggest that the big processors wished to pull back deadweight quotations by up to 60p earlier this month, while the market sold sheep have just got dearer and dearer, Sell Live and Thrive!

Top of the tree again this week was T Husk with some super continental heavy hoggets at £170 but closely followed by J Farrant at £167 and R H Smith at £166 who were both offering heavier sheep this week. J Farrant took top price per kilo with the same pen of sheep at 355p, but many others sold export grade hoggets in excess of 330p such as S J Reeve & Son, Dan Mackelden Ltd and P Gorringe. A wonderful trade and smiles all round! (under facemasks).

A small entry of milk lambs from two vendors penned this week but top price was a respectable £150 from M Critcher & Ptnrs for 37.5kg lambs. SQQ average 361.7p

Please keep the hoggets and lambs coming and contact us with numbers so we can notify the buyers.

Report on trade: A smaller entry of cull sheep this week but once again the smaller numbers on offer this week nationally, due to many ewes already cleared up prior to lambing, boosted prices with the best ewes really marching on today to a top price of £154 from Church Street Farm and R F & E A Simmons at £142. Overall averages were returned around £90 with a few leaner sorts in the entry going on for further finishing from £50 to £70.

Report on trade: Another exceptional trade with Charollais cross stores topping at £124 from J H & A H Godden and a run of Romney wethers £123, £115.50, and £114 from A J Thompson & Sons. A consignment of Romney ewe tegs in store condition looked very well sold from £104 up to £115 from P J Hewitt. Only very small long term sorts made below £80.

If you have stores to sell, you would be well advised to market in the next few weeks to give purchasers time to finish before the end of the season.

Breeding Sheep – Auctioneer: James Cook

Report on trade: Just a couple of pens of ewe and lamb couples this week with another strong trade and several prospective purchasers not even getting a bid in. Both pens sold between £65 and £70 per life for ewes with 1.5 to 1.8 lambs at foot.

Auctioneer: James Cook

Report on trade: Just a few orphan lambs on offer which traded from £16-£28. Aver £23.07

This section will be offered every Tuesday at 10.30am through the lambing season – please ring with entries so we can advise purchasers of likely entries.

Report on trade: A big entry of 73 head met a cracking trade throughout with 9 individual successful buyers competing well for all on offer from the best handyweight butcher types to those leaner sorts in need of further finishing.

Top quality continental crosses made in excess of 235p per kg with a superb Parthenais cross heifer topping the market at £1391 (249p) from S Marsh while other top prices included Limousin cross steer £1479 (245p) and British Blue cross heifer £1342 (234p) from W Alexander (Shoreham), Limousin cross steer £1406 (238p) from S Marsh, Limousin cross heifer £1365 (238p) from D W Ferguson Ltd and Blonde cross heifer £1273 (235p) from N C & C G Hedges.

A run of Limousin x Friesian steers looked well sold at around 220p with the pick £1352 (224p) and £1279 (225p) from A J Down. Heavier continental crosses grossed well in excess of £1400 notably British Blue cross steers £1468 (218p) from K & P M Sinden & Sons and £1441 (214p) from P W & P Sim & Son.

A good selection of native bred cattle sold to a similar strong trade with Aberdeen Angus cross heifers £1405 (225p) and £1196 (236p) from Burden Bros, purebred Sussex heifers £1280 (207p) and £1131 (218p) from J G & D G White and Hereford cross steers to £1394 (217p) and £1358 (225p) and heifers to £1378 (219p) from R C & J L Pickering.

Report on trade: Dearer than ever! All sectors of the meat industry are concerned about on going supplies in the short, medium, and long term and prices are continuing to rise. We had a good number forward again from an ever widening area with tested TB1 cows finding no resistance with approved finishing units (AFU’s) and short term finishers enthusiastic for all stock.

A few best fleshed assured beef cows made 150p to 170p per kg grossing up to £1357 with keeping cows, assured or not, regularly 140p to 180p. Plain hard grazing cows made 120p to 140p.

Top calls included Limousin cross 178p 172p 165p (2) 162p £1205 Burden Bros and 164p £1226 Gardners; South Devon 163p 155p £1357 £1227 Gardners  and 132p (Non FA) G Stokes; Aberdeen Angus cross 159p £1173 Burden Bros and 120p £1074 (Non FA) N C & C G Hedges; Sussex 150p 145p 144p 140p (Non FA) J Muscat; Simmental cross 148p £1246 H J Emery & Son and 146p T Husk; Stabiliser cross 146p (Non FA) P & A Love Ltd; Hereford 146p 144p (2) 142p £969 (Non FA) Tyland Farm, 141p (Non FA) P & A Love Ltd and 138p £902 (Non FA) B C Ginger with a Sussex steer (4yrs) 154p £982 (Non FA) J Muscat.

Dairy culls carrying more flesh, as producers sensibly follow the trade, saw the best of the cows making up over 140p and maiden heifers and young cows up over 170p. Gross returns were regularly over £1000 topping at £1256.

Top calls included Holstein heifers 170p 147p J W Boyd & Sons Ltd with cows 179p 142p 135p 133p 130p £1239 £1178 £1125 £1093 R C & J L Pickering, 138p 128p £1256 P J Forknall, 137p (2) 131p 129p (2) 127p £1140 R Torrance & Son, 133p £908 and J W Boyd & Sons Ltd.

Culls bulls included Aberdeen Angus 105p £1071 (Non FA) and a Hereford 89p £974.

Report on trade: A large, quality show of store cattle met an exceptional trade with prices the dearest yet at seen Ashford Market. The national tight supplies of beef cattle have forced the returns for finished cattle to record levels and this is now reflected in the trade for store cattle.

A ringside packed with buyers from the eastern counties, Midlands and the north in addition to the regular local feeders competed fiercely throughout from start to finish for all ages, quality and breeds on offer.

Top quality continental cross yearlings sold readily in excess of £1000 with smart Limousin/British Blue cross steers topping at £1110 from Mrs K Graham and heifers to £1070 for Limousin crosses from M L Williams. Slightly older, stronger cattle topped the market at £1280 and £1215 for well bred 14mths Limousin cross steers and heifers from H J Emery & Son.

The demand for native bred cattle was equally bullish with top quality yearlings making in excess of £1000 up to £1175 for Aberdeen Angus cross steers from M J Ashworth and strong 24mths Hereford steers £1170 from W & P New.

Principal prices include:

Continental cross

• 12mths Simmental cross steers £950 P & A Love Ltd
• 12mths Limousin x Sussex steers £975 Beaute Agri
• 12mths Limousin cross steers £1025, heifers £925 H & S Nesfield
• 12mths Limousin/British Blue cross steers £1110, heifers £915 Mrs K Graham
• 12mths Limousin cross heifers £1070 M L Williams
• 12mths Limousin cross heifers £1020 J C Loveridge
• 12mths Limousin cross heifers £1040 F S Husk
• 12-14mths Limousin cross steers £1160 M J Ashworth
• 12-14mths Blonde cross steers £1160, heifers £1140 R D E Spencer
• 14mths Limousin cross steers £1280, heifers £1215 H J Emery & Son

Native bred

• 10-12mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers £870, heifers £920 F Pearce & Sons
• 12mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers £1030, heifers £835 Burden Bros
• 12-14mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers £1100 R J & C M Greengrow
• 12-14mths Aberdeen Angus cross steers £1175 M J Ashworth
• 18mths Aberdeen Angus x Friesian steers £1030, heifers £960 E J Gribble
• 12mths Hereford steers £950, heifers £810 B C Ginger
• 24mths Hereford steers £1170, heifers £950 W & P New

Report on trade: Demand for good pigs again produced good prices for the limited entry penned.

In the finished pig pens S Scott & Son and J & S Harmer sold well bred pigs to 152p per kg and £152 and 130p and £121.71.

A few more cull pigs were forward with heavy models 40p and £118 with lighter lean types to 21p and £35. A cull boar grossed £92.80.

One pen of store pigs was young Duroc types which made £11.

For up-to-date information on all livestock sales please contact

Elwyn Davies (Cattle & sheep) 07710 803901 or 01233 861263

Peter Kingwill (Cattle & sheep) 07795 200357

Simon Husk (Cattle & sheep) 07885 968077 or 01304 842393

Mark Cleverdon (Pigs) 07741 845230

John Rossiter (Sheep, machinery plus commercial vehicles) 07557 392903

Tom Hamplett (Calves, weanlings, breeding cattle & rams) 07966 104532

Please note if you don’t wash out at Ashford.

Drivers of vehicles leaving Ashford empty without cleansing and disinfecting MUST complete a declaration form obtainable from the Market Office.

You must then cleanse and disinfect as soon as possible and within 24 hours, or before using again for livestock.

This is a LEGAL responsibility and are subject to checks by Local Authority Animal Health and Welfare Officers

Covid-19 Protocol at Ashford Market – updated January 2021

Following recent government lockdown legislation relating to Covid-19, Hobbs Parker Auctioneers, here in Ashford Market, will be following recommendations from the Livestock Auctioneers Association and we confirm that from Tuesday 12^h January and onwards

• we will be again implementing a “Drop and go Policy” and no vendors will be permitted to attend the market other than to deliver stock.

Only registered buyers must enter either the penning areas or sales ring.

• customers to wear a face covering whilst at market.
• social distancing, high standards of hygiene and responsible behaviour to others should be maintained.
• strict control of the numbers attending market is asked for and both buyers and sellers should not bring additional people with them to market.

Bovine TB Test Dates

It is very important that the date (first part of test) is recorded on cattle entry forms for all cattle sold from TB1holdings. Any recent whole herd test dates from TB4 holdings must also be recorded. This information is critical to purchasers who may be required to test animals again and who will wish to avoid the risk of a false positive by testing again within the 60-day period.

Please advise of test dates when making cattle entries for cataloguing from TB1 Holdings.

Message from Peter Barker of Barkers Animal Health

Lambing season supplies – Just a reminder that Barkers Animal Health retail store, here in the market, is open for collections on a Tuesdays. Please pre order with Mossy, who is available 24/7 on 07739 723623, so goods are ready for you.

South East Farmer and Farm Machinery magazines

The April edition of this popular regional farming magazine is now available here in the market. Hobbs Parker is a regular contributor to the editorial content.

Hay, Straw and fodder

For a small charge we are quite happy to advertise your hay, straw and fodder for sale in this register which will now run until early May for further details please ring our auctioneer’s office on 01233 502222 or Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

For Sale – 150 4 String 2m rectangular Timothy 2^nd quality 2020 season hay. Ashford area 07876 273254

Miscellaneous livestock and general goods and services for sale and wanted ex farm

For Sale – Pedigree Dairy Shorthorn bull, 14mths. East Kent. Ring Mark Cleverdon 07741 845230

Wanted – an afternoon milker for a 200 cow herd in the Canterbury area. Please ring 01971 873896 or 01227 700578 for more details

News from RABI

Three course cookalong celebrates Great British Beef Week from April 23^rd to 30^th. We’re delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Ladies in Beef, as their chosen charity partner for Great British Beef Week. To be part of this year’s exciting fundraising activity, you can join a virtual cookalong hosted by multi-award-winning Chef, Chris Wheeler and AHDB’s Karl Pendlebury.

Chris is Exec Head Chef of Stoke Park Club, including the 3 AA Rosette fine-dining restaurant. He was a contestant on the Great British Menu in 2016, has appeared on Saturday Kitchen and won Hotel Chef of the Year at the Hotel and Catering Awards. He is also Chef of choice to represent British Beef and Lamb around the globe and has for the last few years been Chef Ambassador, representing Quality Stand Mark Beef and Lamb.

Chris will be taking you step-by-step through a classic British-inspired three course menu, including expert insight into how to create the perfect steak at home.

This sensational virtual cookery demonstration takes place on St George’s Day, Friday 23 April from 7.00pm to 8.30pm. Tickets are available via Eventbrite (see link below) and are priced at £30 per log in. Eventbrite link: https://rabicookalong.eventbrite.co.uk . Registration provides access to an ingredients and kit list to organise in advance, and a link to the online Zoom event. The ingredients are based on cooking for two people but can be scaled up or down based on the size of your household.

If you’re unable to join the cookalong then we hope everyone will support our fantastic beef industry by serving a delicious British roast with all the trimmings on Sunday 25 April. We appreciative that it is a difficult time for many at the moment, but if you are able to support, please visit the R.A.B.I JustGiving page to make any donations.

For further information on all RABI events in Kent ring Charles Tassell – 01622 858733, 07973 412179, email charles@tassell.co.uk or contact the regional co-ordinator Sally Field on 07799 79844, email sally.field@rabi.org.uk

News from the East Sussex Farmers’ Benevolent Fund

The Benevolent Fund charity was created in 1935 by a local farmer and its purpose is to support farmers, farm staff and those involved in the wider land-based industries. Support can also be given to family dependants.  Beneficiaries are normally resident in East Sussex or neighbouring counties.

Income from property and investment legacies help to finance the fund in addition to generous donations. The fund is overseen by five local trustees with strong agricultural connections.

Help can be for those currently in work, or who have retired or who are unable to work due to illness or disability. The fund can also assist those entering land-based education and help with relevant CPD for furthering their land-based careers.

If you feel that we can help you or you are aware of someone who might benefit from help, please let us know and we will be pleased to support. To contact the Honorary Secretary of the Benevolent Fund Des Lambert – 07912 464746, 01273 890841 or email des.lambert@btinternet.com.

Help and support from The Farming Community Network

Farming Community Network (FCN) volunteers regularly attend local livestock markets and whilst we cannot be present at sales currently, our helpline is still open from 7am to 11pm every day, staffed by people who understand farming.

FCN is a charity and voluntary organisation that helps farmers to stay resilient. We provide practical and pastoral support to those experiencing difficulties in England and Wales.

During these challenging times we are encouraging everyone to think about their own physical and mental health and that of their families and staff.

We can help with contingency planning against the backdrop of the Corona virus outbreak and our FarmWell website (www.farmwell.org.uk) offers a wealth of free information about managing change and maintaining personal wellbeing.

The FCN helpline can be reached on 03000 111 999 or via email at help@fcn.org.uk. Confidentiality is assured.