Spirited bidding at Ashford Christmas sale
Trade continues to remain strong at Christmas primestock shows. Auctioneers at the annual Ashford Christmas Show and sale reported an outstanding display of cattle of the highest quality forward.
Judge, Andy Clark of Park Farm Butchers, Hawkhurst, found his supreme champion in a Limousin cross steer from Jason and Sarah Wareham, Tottingworth Farm, Heathfield. This bullock was sold for 330p a kg and £1,977 to regular supporters E C Wilkes & Son, butchers of Cranbrook.
The reserve championship was a very popular decision given to a homebred Sussex x Limousin/Sussex heifer from Hugh Richards, Biddenden. Shown in the classes by Jessica Norris of Homewood School YFC, this beast also took the Heifer and Pairs Championships and was sold for 345p to another regular butchers, Trevor Marlow, for his shop in Singleton in Ashford.
Demand was strong and consistent throughout the sale with many cattle making between 250p and 300p and with plenty of weight on offer many of the cattle grossed well over £1,500.
X HEAD Sheep
In the sheep ring trade was also cracking with regular buyers paying good premiums for the best prize winners on offer. Commercial lambs sold exceptionally well with the best handy weights regularly making in excess of 210p a kg while Romneys and heavy weights were making about 200p/kg.
Two Pens of Beltex crosses from Mrs C Worley took the top spot making £105 (244.18p) at 43kg and then 40kg made to £97.50 (243.75p) while best heavy weights grossed in excess of £100 and up to £108 from Mrs H V Link, £102 from N & T Cutler, £101 from C Ballard and R F & E A Simmons, £100.20 from T Telling and £100 from P D Denne.
Top show pairs were: Champion pair £200 (392.15p) from A Neaves, Staplehurst and purchased by Brian Wilson, La Vallee Farm Shop, Hockley, Essex. Reserve champion pair £128 (312.19p) from G P King, Hawkhurst and purchased by Tony Fulk (Butchers), Pirbright
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Best Texel pair £150 (294.11p) from Miss A Hill, High Halden and purchased by David Harriott, Littlehampton, West Sussex. Champion pen of 5 made £118 (280.95p) from Mrs C Worley and purchased by D Marchant (Butchers), Bethersden.
Pigs
Quality pigs were also in attendance at the show and sale with 29 forward and judged by David Martin, Anglo Dutch Meat. David, who was representing Anglo Dutch Meats for the sale, went on to purchase seven of the 29 with Marchants Butchers, Bethersden (2), A B Jones and Ptnrs, Meopham (6), N Shorter, Kingsnorth (5), K J Lukehurst, Brook (5), Brian Wilson (3) amd M Turmer, Sevenoaks (1) the other buyers who supported the show section.
Trade was very respectable for the quality offered with all pigs making 112 to 230p a kg. The 29 pigs averaged 133p and £107 a head. Angley School YFC’s champion pair made 230p and £193 purchased by Marchants Butchers, Bethersdan while Ben Hope’s reserve champion made 145p and £116.70 to Anglo Dutch Meats, Charing. A full show report will be published next week.
(Hobbs Parker)