UNDER THE HAMMER
UNDER THE HAMMER
Sheep farmers flocked to
Blackpitts Farm, Aldsworth,
in the Cotswolds last
week for the first
on-farm sale of sheep in the
area since foot-and-mouth.
FW was there, too
Right: Breeding ewe sales have hardly begun in earnest this year, so there was plenty of interest in nearly 1000 sheep at Blackpitts Farm, where a flock has been kept for generations. Owner
John Phillips is renowned for producing top quality stock.
Above: Rex Goodings, of The Holding Minety, Wilts, and Mike Theobald, a livestock agent from Cirencester, mull over the sheep trade.
Below: George Edington, of Ladbarrow Farm, Aldsworth, and Alec Inglis, the shepherd at the farm for 35 years, share a joke before the selling begins.
Above: Trade was buoyant with 346 full-mouth ewes levelling at £45; 206 six-tooth ewes at £65; and 63
four-tooth ewes at £73. And the early store lamb trade was strong too, with lambs averaging £35.
Below: A large range of sheep equipment sold well,
such as this N-registered Ford 4000 tractor, which made £2300 – more than it cost to buy.
Above: John Phillips keeps an eye on prices while Moore, Allen & Innocent auctioneer Mark Hill gets into action. The farm is getting out of sheep to concentrate on its other enterprises.