A busier sale than for many years saw a top price of 7,000 guineas and good average prices at the NSA Wales &
Border Ram Sale at the Royal Welsh Showground. The turnover was up on last year at nearly £2.2million, at
£2,153,687, and there was a clearance of 84% with 4,400 sheep sold.
Organisers said their determination to provide quality, health assured rams had paid off in what had been a
difficult and challenging year for sheep farmers. The headline prices signalled a satisfactory trade in quality
rams, with vendors generally pleased that averages held up well.
NSA Wales & Border Chairman John Owens said: “It has been a good sale. Good sheep sold very well,
considering the way the sheep trade has been.
“The prices prove that buyers continue to come to Builth for the quality of the veterinary inspected rams. It’s
unique in a ram sale of this size.”
Texel inspector, DeriJones, said the quality of sheep had been outstanding. He said that in thirty years in the
job, he had never seen such a run of high quality sheep. It proved the value of the rigorous inspections carried
out at the sale.
The 7,000 guinea Border Leicester that topped the sale provided a fitting finish to a long career for Jim Brown
who regularly travels from Scotland. Nine of the ten sheep he brought averaged 700 guineas, while those sent
by his daughter Jennifer also sold well.
The ram went to Jim’s brother, Pete, who farms at the other side of Scotland on the Ile of Arran. Pete had
spotted him at the Royal Highland Show and was determined to buy him.
Jim added: “I knew he liked him, but I didn’t think he liked him that much! There were a lot of buyers around
the ring today – you can’t keep good sheep down.”
A Texel shearling from W T Davies & Co Cyf, Canllefaes Vantastic, sold for 6,800 guineas to the Quick family of
Crediton, Devon, and Jim and Nick Hartwright, of Hereford. Euros Davies sold all twenty Canllefaes rams well
and said the highest priced ram ‘stood out in the field’.
A delighted Paul Quick described him as the ram he had been looking for all year. He added: “We went for his
fleshing. We have been to every shearling sale of the year and this is the best fleshed shearling we have seen.”
The Texel breed champion, a ram lamb from Geoff and Eifion Morgan, of Blaencar Farm, Sennybridge, sold for
6,000 guines to Boden & Davies, Mellorvale Farm, Mellor, Stockport. Emyr Hughes of Wolfscastle,
Haverfordwest, won the Charollais breed championship and sold another ram lamb from the same pen for the
breed top price of 2,350 guineas to R S & JS Gregory, of Harmer Hill, Shrewsbury.
Texel breeder Andrew Reed, of Upper Scolton Farm, Spittal, Haverfordwest, who topped the sale last year with
a 6,800 guinea shearling and in 2011 with an 8,200 guinea ram, sold a Texel for 5,000 guineas.
Andrew said it had been a strong, very selective trade, and slow early on when they had been selling. He felt
the fat lamb price had knocked confidence. Mr Reed paid 2,300 guineas for a ram from Cefin Pryce of Llanfair
Caereinion, picking a ‘good, long, wide sheep with a level top line, good legs and back’.
West Yorkshire Lleyn breeders G & A Fort were delighted with their first visit to the sale. Their Lleyn shearling,
Brightonhouse Double Gold, sold for 4,800 guineas. It was purchased jointly by A & R Bennett of Powys and H
E Sevenoaks.
Trade in the Blue Face Leicester lines was brisk, with the top price of 3,900 guineas achieved by R P Williams
and Sons of Lydbury, Shropshire. The ram sold to D W Henderson, Allandale, Hexham.
Mr Williams sold six rams and described the trade as ‘cracking’. He said the good sheep had sold well, those
with good bodies and good mouths. There had been very pleasing, quality, rams in all the rings, giving
purchasers a good choice.
Dewi Williams of Bryn Dansi, Abergele, brought fifty Blue Face Leicester shearlings and was delighted with his
day’s trading – selling all fifty with an average of £1120 and a top price of 2,300 guineas. He said he had been
pleasantly surprised by the following his Elian Flock had built up over the years.
He added:”It was one of the best runs of shearlings we have brought to Builth. We didn’t know what to expect
in a challenging year with the lamb prices as they are. We have been pleasantly surprised with the trade we’ve
had.”
Other top prices included 3,800 guineas for a Welsh Mountain ram sold by A&M Jones, of Llanafan, Builth
Wells. A non accredited Suffolk sold by G Davies & Co of Garth, Builth Wells, made 1480 guineas and sold to
William Halford of Kempsey, Worcestershire.
A Beltex from E L Evans & Co , Rhayader, sold for 2,900gns to T Davies & Co, Llwyncadwgan, Beulah. A
Berrichon shearling ram from M C & K D Yeo, Barnstaple, sold for 800gns to Derek Steen, Lockerbie.
A Blue Texel ewe lamb from Nina Smith of Shrewsbury sold for 1700 guineas to Krissy Long, Upper Park Farm,
Canterbury.