FARMERS are looking ahead to another busy year at Hereford Market after a successful 2015.

Hereford Market Auctioneers Ltd said throughput was increased in most sections last year, with more than 375,000 animals sold and buyers and vendors travelling from across the country to the under-cover premises off Roman Road.

The biggest weekly event is the Wednesday sheep market, with prime lambs, cull ewes and an increasing breeding section of ewes, both dry and in-lamb, ewes with lambs and store lambs/hoggetts.

Last year, it attracted an average of just under 7,000 head every week with the highest daily entry of 10,958 on October 7.

Sheep prices have fluctuated and, at times were £10 to £20 less than 2014 with cull ewes remaining most stable and meeting a constant demand.

The highest weekly average was £94.26 per head – and for a market that attracts a fair proportion of hill ewes this was quite some trade.

These prices have all contributed to building confidence and stable prices for breeding ewes and consistent numbers throughout the year have left Hereford one of the top three centres in the country for cull ewes.

Depreciation has never been better with strong lowland ewes often making as much as culls as when they were bought as yearlings.

There was a marked increase in throughput of breeding ewes with in-lambers in January and ewes with lambs from February to May.

Stock rams from August to November ensured customers had rams available whenever they wanted them and £861 was topped for a yearling Border Leicester ram.

The autumn again saw large numbers of ewe lambs being sold with 4,693 penned and sold on September 15 topping at £104 for Suffolk cross.

Store lambs showed increased throughput both in the first four and the last four months of the year with the covered extension being filled on a weekly basis from September to December.

The cattle section saw nearly 9,000 bovines of all ages with store cattle, beef type cows with calves, barren cows, rearing and weaned calves showing increased entries on the year.

Prices were also improved throughout the year, with many highlights in all sections. Heifers met demand for bulling as well as feeding and sold to £1,345 while 625 beef type cows/heifers sold either with or in calf topping at £2,500 twice for a top quality consignment of Limousin and British Blue x heifers with Limousin calves at foot in June.

Several dispersals were forward during the year with the pedigree Beef Shorthorns locally consigned on September 17 attracting customers from Sussex to Anglesey and selling to £4,100.

Rearing calves attracted entries each week and sold to £460 for a British Blue x bull. Monthly sales of TB restricted cattle have all been well supported with a top price of £1,375 for a Limousin steer in March.

Pig sales have been held on Thursdays – the highlight being £385 for an Oxford Sandy and Black sow with 11 piglets, together with £365 for a farmhouse bacon pig at the December sale.