Gimmer lambs are a bargain
Gimmer lambs are a bargain
LOWLAND buyers of North of England Mule gimmer lambs may not see the price of breeding sheep as cheap again for many years as trade levels at about £29 a head.
The second week of sales saw a slight improvement in demand as more south country buyers headed north to snap up bargain lambs.
Eddie Williamson of Ashby Court, Okehampton, Devon is a regular bidder for gimmer lambs at the Cumbria sales. As well as buying for neighbouring farms he bought a total of 700 smaller-type tupping lambs last week (300 for himself) to average £29.
"Were cutting back on the sheep flock but if I was younger Id have bought more. These lambs look good sense at this price when you consider they were twice as much two years ago.
"Theres no talk in the short to medium term of any change to sheep subsidy so these lambs are very good value. With four or five crops of prime lambs to come they have to be right. You have to do something to make your land work and this looks like a pretty good option at the moment," said Mr Williamson who sells his ewes as three-year-olds.
While hill farmers count the cost of another cut in their traditional income, some are changing tack. Terminal sires are already heading up the hill to use on Swaledale ewes this autumn while other hill farmers, whose lower land has previously carried Swaledales and Mule lambs, are talking of retaining their Mule lambs and off-loading horned ewes.
Auctioneer Stuart Bell of Penrith Farmers and Kidds says lambs at these prices are too good to miss: "Men with shearlings to sell may now be prepared to move them a bit cheaper knowing that lambs are at this level. This is the year to buy 100-150 Mule gimmer lambs and they could even leave profit as prime lambs later in the season.
The 15,000 Greyface gimmer lambs sold at Carlisle last week were down £13 a head to average £29.53. "Its never been a better time to stock-up with sheep. Prime lambs were making £29 apiece on Monday. That puts the job into perspective," commented Borderway Mart auctioneer David Pritchard. *