Herefordshire market reports

Lambs need to be ‘good meat’ at present with leaner lambs a more selective trade unless at 30-35kg where ‘3/4 meat’ will suffice.

This trade is now 7p below last year on the week and it is hoped that the early gap will now close up.

Top Price/Head £126 for Lambs Grading 38kg, Overall Average £80.76/head Top Ten p/kg Top Ten £/head Three Counties Show & Sale of Lambs for Carcase Competition Crossbred Lambs Kg £ p/kg:1 Cresswell & Oliver, Ocle Court 42 £94.00 223.8, 2 K G and L Morris 38.5 £87.00 225.9, 3 M G Yates, Woodend 38 £91.00 239.4, 4 Mrs S M James 36 £84 233.3, 5 M A Reynolds, Heath Farm 36 £75.50 209.7 Three Quarter to Pure Bred Lambs Kg £ p/kg: 1 B Blandford & Sons 38 £126 331.5, 2 W P Blandford, Coddington 36 £125 347.2, 3 Mrs S M James 36 £90 250.0, 4 E J and B A Bufton, Upper House 40 £91 227.5, 5 B L Thomas & Sons, Stretford Bridge 36 £84 233.3.

Champion Pen: B Blandford & Sons.

Reserve Pen: W P Blandford, Coddington.

Judge: Stuart Roberts, Swansea.

Ewes/Hoggs & Lambs - 131: A very good trade for quality well grown hoggs and lambs to £148 and £141, with harder sorts £123-£130. Full mouth ewes sold to £100 for hard sorts with other hill ewes £80-£94. Good black faced ewe hoggs sold to £95.

Cull Ewes - 885: An excellent entry of ewes with a much better trade resulting in an overall average of £77.50/head topping at £130/head for ewes from Mr T J Vaughan, Moorside. Top 20 prices were all in excess of £100/head.

Those best Suffolk types were in excess of £100/head and would be a good £10/head dearer.

The rams were also better topping at £108/head from M/s Vaughan. Again the plain types were a tremendous trade. A similar entry is required next week. A full crowd of buyers forward ensuring a terrifically competitive trade.

Average £/head - £77, Suffolks £115.50, Continental £130, North Country Mules £90, Welsh Mules £82.50, Speckles £68, Welsh £71, Cull Rams £108.

Hay Market Brightwells report a disappointing entry of Spring lambs in Hay last Thursday, once again meeting a very good trade. Best lambs all around £2 to a top 207.5 (40kg £83) from Gordon Price, two Sheephouse Cottages followed by 2.05 (39 ½ kg £81) from Bernard Price, Brynteg with Messrs Davies, Penrheol next 203.6p (42kg £85.50). Majority of lambs selling over £80 topping at £86 (twice) from Gordon Price and TR Lloyd & Ptnrs, Hawkswood. Buyers complaining insufficient sheep on offer, so please consider Hay for your prime lamb sales. Contact Rob Meadmore on (07774) 763971 or (01600) 780086 (home) for expected demand etc.

Knighton Market McCartneys report an entry of 424 prime sheep and 150 cull sheep at Knighton market last Thursday.

A firm lamb trade averaged 197.18 pence per kilo and selling to 203 pence per kilo for 37 kilo texel cross lambs to £75 per head from P A Goodwin, Lower Stanage.

Also to 202 pence per kilo for 40.50 kilo charollais cross lambs to £82 per head from Whitewall Farm Partnership, Whitewall Farm. 200.47 pence per kilo for 42 kilo Suffolk cross lambs to £84.20 per head from C Oakley, Provident Villa. 200 pence per kilo for 42.50 kilo charollais cross lambs to £85 per head from Whitewall Farm Partnership, Whitewall Farm. 199.52 pence per kilo for 41.50 kilo Suffolk cross lambs to £82.80 per head for R H Watkins & Son, Marlow. 199 pence per kilo for 38 kilo texel cross lambs to £75.50 per head from I J and D J Gough, Bedstone.

Top price per had was £92 for 49 kilo charollais cross lambs from J Watkins, Heartsease. Also to £91.60 per head for 48 kilo texel cross lambs from G E Lloyd & Son, Middle Cwmheyope.

An improved ewe trade averaging £75.68per head and selling to £109 per head for Texel ewes from R M Williams, Stable Cottage and £108 per head for Suffolk ewes from S P Davies, Jay Barns Farm.

Also to £99.50 per head for texel cross ewes from S P Davies, Jay Barns Farm.

£98 per head for Suffolk ewes from J K and E G Jones & Son, Whitton court. £98 per head for texel cross ewes from G L and D J Morgan, Selley Hall.

Mule ewes sold to £89.50 per head from T A Swancott & Son, Lawn Farm. Also to £88.50 per head from S P Davies, Jay Barns Farm and £88.50 per head from E R Harris, Pantycarragle.

Welsh and Speckled ewes to £72 per head from T A Swancott & Son, Lawn Farm.

Average prices for Premium and Prime Lambs of various weights:- 36.5-43kg Premium 202.78 pence per kilo Prime 198.32 pence per kilo, 43.5-48kg Premium 193.10 pence per kilo Prime 186.71 pence per kilo, 48.5 kg and over Prime 188.00 Kington Market McCartney’s of Kington report a good entry of 2350 sheep last Thursday.

We had a good entry of 2000 spring lambs, which sold to very good trade on the week.

The lambs averaged 2.02ppk up to 2.15ppk.

Light lambs again sold to premium prices but all lambs were in good demand by five buyers.

Some 37kg lambs from SR Morgan & Sons made £78, 39kg lambs from DT and SM Owens made £80, 40kg lambs from AM Williams made £84, 42kg lambs from TR and GM Layton made £87, 44kg lambs from DT and SM Owens made £90, 45kg lambs from WW Aubrey made £91.50, 47kg lambs from GH Price & Co made £94.80, 49kg lambs from O Morgan made £94.80 There was a small entry of end of season hoggets which sold to a brisk trade and averaged 1.50ppk.

There was a good entry of 350 cull ewes selling to another good trade. The buyers are requiring leaner ewes which sold to premium prices. The ewes sold to a top of £139 for some texel cross ewes from Brobury Farms and all the ewes averaged a good £85 per head with many hill ewes forward. Tups sold to a good trade with a top of £100 and to average £80 per head. The cull ewes included a large proportion of thinner mule ewes and smaller hill ewes.

We have buyers for in excess of 3000 lambs and 750 cull sheep per week to meet our buyers’ requirements.

McCartneys at Kington, offer an on-farm livestock grading and marketing advice service on a no charge basis.

Kington Market is every Thursday, commencing at 11am with lambs. For further information please contact Gareth Wall, 01544 230316.