Welsh event goes with buzz for Bluefaces

26 September 1997

Welsh event goes with buzz for Bluefaces

By Jeremy Hunt

BLUEFACED Leicester devotees headed for mid-Wales last weekend and produced a tremendous trade at a major reduction of stock from Brian Davies noted Ty-Gwyn flock.

This was the biggest Blue-faced Leicester flock sale to be held in Wales and put 70 rams and 142 females under the hammer of joint auctioneers Irving Parry and Raymond Lund.

The sale, at Builth Wells market, offered the culmination of 17 years involvement with the breed and saw keen interest in stock by the £9500 Snab Green ram bought from Lancashire breeders Messrs Huddleston at Hawes last year.

Top price was 2400gns paid by David Abberley, Brecon for ram lamb by the Snab Green sire and out of a ewe by a Ty-Gwyn tup. Another ram lamb by a Riddings sire realised 2050gns to David Fairclough, Newbridge-on-Wye.

Welsh Mule breeder Ken Hughson made the leading shearling tup bid of 1650gns.

Age was no detriment to demand for ewes when a 1000gns call came for a seven-shear entry by a Riddings sire. She goes to Devon breeder J Cox who owns one of the biggest Blue-faced Leicester flocks in the country.

A four-shear ewe realised 1150gns to P M Stack-Dunne, Minehead, Somerset and two shears peaked at 1150gns for a College bred ewe paid by D I Jones, Brecon. Top shearling ewe bid was 1000gns given by J Scar, Hawes, North Yorks.

Prices twice reached 1700gns for ewe lambs by the Snab Green sire. Buyers were P Williams, Kington, Powys and M Thomas, Beulah.

Mr Davies has reduced the Ty-Gwyn flock to around 20 ewes.

Averages: 17 shearling rams £1173; 46 ram lambs £1149; 46 ewe lambs £558; 41 shearling ewes £462 and 53 ewe lambs £391. (Russell, Baldwin and Bright and Hawes Farmers Auction Mart)