August Recap - Mark Richardson

From Mark Richardson, Regional Sales Manager (Kirkby Stephen) & Auctioneer at Harrison & Hetherington

On this red-hot Wednesday morning I am on my way to Okehampton Show where I am looking forward to judging the mule sheep section. Along with farmers and Harrison & Hetherington clients from Kirkby Stephen we are travelling six hours to the event with each of us having been invited to judge. Looking at the number of entries it is certainly not going to be an easy task.

The fat lamb trade has been consistently good so far this year with demand for strong heavy lambs remaining steadfast. Buyers are looking for well finished lambs and as a result they are selling at great premiums compared to unfinished lambs. During July and August, we have consistently seen prices averaging between £2.60 - £2.70 per kg, peaking at £3.05.  However, the top lambs 44kg plus lambs are highly sought after but are few and far between due to the limited supply of grass and the rise in feed costs. For these we are seeing some selling for up to £160 - £170 per head, working out at around £4 per kg. 

I attended the Thame Bicester Sheep Fair, earlier this month to see some of our southern farmers selling mule gimmer shearlings that they had purchased from Kirkby Stephen last September. Taking into account the almost drought conditions in the south, sheep were turned out in fantastic condition and the trade was much better than anticipated. The average price for the mule shearlings was only 70p less than what we saw last year, this is a result which all vendors felt was a good outcome under the current circumstances.

Taking a lead from the prices we have been seeing this year I hope that this bodes well for our up-and-coming Autumn Sheep Breeding Sales which are major sales for the mart and the sheep sector. There are however reservations, primarily because of the grass situation as we head towards our opening sale of continental breeding sheep and the North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) gimmer lamb sale on the 9^{th of} September.

At Harrison & Hetherington and Kirkby Stephen mart we have a strong team of staff who strive to serve our clients in the best way possible and we are delighted to continue to see rising numbers of stock bring brought forward at our regular sales. Our single most important aim is to support our loyal customers and to make every effort to maximise the value of all stock we sell. It is great that after COVID we are once again seeing larger numbers of people at our weekly sales along with the many number of pruchasers an vendors who travel long distances from the four corners of the UK for the annual sales.

So, as we head into the Autumn I would like to congratulate farmers and breeders as the ewes and fat lambs we are seeing have never been as consistently good, but unfortunately this year with the extreme heat we are experiencing and of course the continually rising input costs this has not been played into the farmers hands.

So, as I end this column, let us pray together for some rain in the coming weeks.