View from the Rostrum

A Year of Challenge and Opportunity

2025 Reflections

 

I remember when I was younger, being told that time flies as you get older, so I know I must be getting really old because the past year has flown by in the blink of an eye.

 

In general, I would describe the last twelve months at Harrison & Hetherington as being a year of both challenges and opportunities. The challenges have come in the form of disease, through-put volumes, infrastructure improvements, and managing expectations.

 

With regards to disease, the emergence of Blue Tongue and the associated movement restrictions meant that our cross-border trade, which in our case is significant, was in real danger of being closed down. Thanks to the resilience and efforts of our entire team we overcame this by using our Lockerbie Mart to host many of the pedigree sheep sales. This worked well and meant we continued to provide an all-round service to all customers, resulting in some tremendous sales. I very much hope that continued vigilance against the disease by all concerned will result in an easing of any restrictions for 2026.

 

Despite a strong start to 2025, through-put volumes eased back through the summer into the autumn, and with the continuing decline in the suckler herd it is unlikely that this will change. Against this backdrop of falling numbers, values hit unprecedented levels for all classes of stock which more than compensated for any reduction in throughput values.

 

As we continue to ensure our sales centres are fit for the future for animals, staff and customers, last year we completed a number of major infrastructure improvements at Borderway, Kirkby Stephen, and some of our other marts.

 

On the other side of the scales, the opportunities which have arisen include the significant support for online sales with many sellers and buyers now preferring to buy or sell direct from their home. The H&H online offering for all sectors, livestock and machinery, is second to none, highly efficient and transparent.

 

As Harrison & Hetherington Look forward to this year and its 101^st year of doing business, I believe that we will see livestock prices level off but not necessarily drop away. One of the biggest factors in the increase in volume has been security of product, not only here but also on the continent. However, to protect and maintain prices at these levels, and to ensure our industry remains sustainable, we require more Government support.

 

Supermarkets and retailers must also be seen to support us by stocking the premium British meat, grain, and dairy produce. In return, British farmers, growers, processors and consumers need to be seen to support those retailers who commit to this policy. Deals to bring beef, lamb, and dairy from abroad, where it is produced to lower welfare standards and at a fraction of the price must be rejected.

 

The past year has shown that everyone in the livestock sector is having to run harder to stand still, but H&H is determined to work with farmers to grasp all possible opportunities and remain at the forefront of the UK livestock trading. We want to ensure that 2026 is a year of collaboration with all of our partners, so that we can lead the way to a successful future for the livestock industry as a whole.