Livestock & Dairy: Bakewell Market

With the fine weather forecast many farmers were ‘in the grass’, however, with early deliveries of stock on a ‘drop & go’ basis we ended up with 612 cattle and 1,072 sheep.

A solid trade in all sections with lambs in particular enjoying some more cheerful prices.

The store list on Friday included a section on Bluetongue vaccination and advising farmers to at least speak to their vet in advance of the whole of England becoming one Bluetongue zone on the 1^st July.

Wales and Scotland have different plans and as things stand any livestock crossing the border into Wales or Scotland need to have been tested for Bluetongue.

This is a very expensive and time consuming procedure with costs quoted from £35-£70 per animal.

Historically thousands of sheep purchased to go from the Peak District into Wales in the Autumn,

The proposals will be disastrous unless common sense prevails.

Welsh farmers are canvassing their government requesting that Wales and England become one zone without barriers.

Let us hope that matters are sorted before the Autumn sales.

Those livestock markets which are close to the border will obviously have to face these problems much sooner with 1^st July only a fortnight away.

There were not surprisingly less store cattle forward, but still a respectable entry of 328, trade a shade dearer with steers to £2,660 ave £1,553 and heifers to £2,700 ave £1,330, feeding bulls reached £2,100 to average £1,215 and in the breeding department mature Angus bulls sold to £3,250 and cows and calves to £2,050.

Finished cattle were out in decent numbers with 127 forward.

Top figures 420p/kg and £3,469 with the 55 heifers averaging 367.5p and £2,235 per head.

Another big show of 125 OTM and feeding cows with prices looking good.

Top figures 358p/kg and £3,157 per head.

The average was a respectable 269.1 pence or £1,742 per head.

32 calves this week with demand outstripping supply.

Bulls to £870 and heifers to £530.

In the sheep section things were fairly quiet with only 1,072 forward due to the ‘haymaker factor’

There were some lovely lambs in the 645 total with top figures 458p and £206.93 per head.

The SQQ average was a creditable 397.2 pence making a typical 39-45 kg lamb worth £174.10.

Hoggs very much on the dwindle with only 222 forward.  Top figures 352p/kg and £191.18, SQQ at 283p.

Cull sheep in short supply at 205 head with ewes to £248 to average £135.03.

Forthcoming Fixtures

Thursday 19^th June: Thursday Lunchtime Sheep Sale

DISEASE PRECAUTIONS

The authorities have asked us to pass on the message to everyone to be vigilant with regard to Bio Security.

May we respectfully ask that you use the footbaths and boot wash in order to reduce the risk

125 BARREN, OTM AND FEEDING COWS overall ave 269.2p/kg or £1742

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)     

Up 3 pence on the week

Good numbers for June and the trade better with better orders from buyers and more demand at ringside for cow meat, long may it continue.

Increasingly the cows are 85p or £530 more than this week last year.  If you have cows to sell, the demand is strong.  Give me a call for up to date figures, best price today was 358p achieved twice for a Blond x cow from Keith Harrop (£2563) and for a smart Limmy cow from Leanne Salt (£2441) that sold for feeding to one of the skilled feeders at ringside.  Better sorts 300p plus with plenty of interest in all qualities today

Results:

Gross Prices:

36 Black & White and ex dairy cows ave 241.6p

Good to sell with strong competition throughout.

2 OTM clean 300 + 305p

Better fed cows 255-266p

Big Holsteins 245-255p

Parlour cows 230-240p

Leaner types 220-230p

Very little under 210p

The best today:

4 OTM Bulls

14 OTM Steers

127 FINISHED CATTLE ave 358.2p/kg

(Auctioneer Oliver Hiles)

Up 9 pence on the week

Deadweight down – Liveweight up.

Less numbers but more demand across all qualities of cattle.  Let’s hope the meat doldrums are coming to an end.

34 Young Bulls ave 355.8p/kg

6 better sorts north of £4 with more appetite amongst the buyers, John Ottewell had 2 superstars at 429p (£3217) and 414p (£3469) with other good pure bred bulls to 418p for James Mellor, Chinley.

Results:

Gross Prices:

38 Steers ave 348.1p

Certainly, dearer than the last couple of weeks and a super top call of 405p (£3021) for a smart blue from Keith Harrop who had others at 404 and 402p.

10 Natives and 6 B/W on the entry today and all looking well sold.

Results:

Gross Prices:

55 Heifers ave 367.6p/kg

The average shows a 13 pence lift on the week, all promising signs.  All the better sorts £4+ with David Goddard and the Fearn family at the top of the pile at 420p with Keith Harrop at 418 and 414p and Nick Hollinshead at 413p (twice).  16 Natives saw Angus to 384p and Hereford to 360p.

Results:

Gross Prices:

STORE & BREEDING CATTLE – (Auctioneers Alastair Sneddon & Meg Elliott)

A decent Summer entry of store & breeding cattle with plenty of interest and strong trade from start to finish.

The sale commenced with16 Breeding Cattle Which included:

17 Feeding Bulls

Sample Results:

156 Steers ave £1553

Plenty of buying power in operation with prices good right through the sale.

Sample Results:

139 Heifers ave £1,330

A good selection with all types well bid for especially if drawn in well matched bunches.

Angus crosses in particular demand.

Sample Results:

32 CALVES (Auctioneer Natasha Hall)

A smaller entry of calves, but a Bakewell record at £870 for a B Blue Bull from RE Poyser & Son.

Heifers topped at £530 for an Angus and was closely followed by a B Blue at £500 both from JE & CM Fletcher.

Bulls

B Blue                 £870     RE Poyser & Son

B Blue                 £570     S & LM Kirby

B Blue                 £475     WJ Adams & Son

Hfd                       £458     J Cawser

AA                        £450     JE & CM Fletcher

Hfrs

AA                        £530     JE & CM Fletcher

B Blue                 £500     JE & CM Fletcher

Lim                      £500     JM & VJ Holland

B Blue                 £480     DJ Metcalfe & Co

B Blue                 £460     G & L Belfield

867 SPRING LAMBS & 205 EWES & LAMBS

(Auctioneer Peter Oven)

A total entry of 1072 sheep included 645 new season lambs.  Demand as good as ever for the best quality butchers lambs with a top of 458p/kg for Bluetongue restricted lambs with local sorts to 455p/kg (twice) and several other pens 440-443p/kg.  Top gross of £207/head.  Overall average 398.44p/kg which included several pens of lightweight plainer sorts.

Leading Prices:

222 Hoggs

222 old season lambs saw bidding brisk for meated sorts to peak at 352p/kg.  Overall average 286.16p/kg

205 Ewes and Rams

(Auctioneers Mark Elliott & Holly Swift)

A respectable entry of 205 cull ewes and rams today with trade averaging the same as last week at £135 per head.

Top call today for Mr Archer for a pen of strong continental ewes at £248 and others close behind at £216 (A V Marsden) and £202 (P J Wheeldon).

Top 10 ewe pens averaged £198. Horned ewes to late £90s, Mules to £120-£170.

9 tups forward today to top at £194 for Mr Rowlinson for two texels.

196 Ewes to £248       ave £135.03          9 Tups to £194     ave £143