Sales by video gaining favour
Sales by video gaining favour
VIDEO sales are catching on following the success of Aberdeen and Northern Marts store cattle sales at Thainstone market in Scotland.
Cumbrian auctioneer Penrith Farmers and Kidds is to have its first video sale at Stokesley market in Yorkshire on May 29. It will be a store cattle sale, with auctioneer Stephen Aitken expecting 300-400 cattle.
"There is a serious demand to get store cattle away and there are plenty of buyers looking for stock as well," says Mr Aitken.
The sale will follow similar guidelines as ANMs sales. Stock will be assessed on farm for weight, conformation, age and available subsidy claims by a mart field officer. This will be catalogued to accompany a video of the animals.
Cattle will be on offer both from within F&M restricted movement areas and from areas without movement restrictions.
ANM, pioneers of video sales, extend the concept to breeding stock this Wednesday, holding its first multi-breed pedigree cattle sale since the F&M crisis began.
The sale has attracted much interest, with a big entry of 113 bulls from seven breeds. Many farmers have been caught without enough bulls to cover spring calving herds because of F&M restrictions on sales and stock movement.
Store cattle video sales continued at ANMs Thainstone market. Last Fridays sale produced strong prices for cattle, although sheep trade was less buoyant. A good entry saw nearly 800 steers average 129.6p/kg, with just under a thousand heifers levelling at 110p/kg.
There was less demand, though, for store sheep and ewes with lambs at foot. *