Kelso Show and Sale – 2019

Pyeston Ram Lamb sold for overall top price £6,000

Date: 12th September 2019

Sponsor: Harbro

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington and United Auctions

Judge: Peter Derryman, Yarcombe Flock

As the leading domestic terminal sire breed in the UK and Ireland, the Suffolk breed has dominated the ram lamb rings at Kelso in recent years and 2019 continues that trend. Suffolks accounted for 48% of all lamb sales. Top price for any ram lamb at Kelso on the day was S Lathangie (Pyeston) getting £6,000, sold to Lancashire breeder L J Berry.

Next was Stephen Buckley’s Champion getting £4,000 for his Sitlow ram lamb, the second top price for any lamb this year. Other notable sales in the Ram Lamb ring were R H Black (Collessie flock) and S & G Brown (Capielaw Flock) getting £2,500 and £2,100 respectively. 250 lambs were sold this year, an 18% increase on 2018 with an average of £476. Stephen Buckley (Sitlow) achieved the top average of £1197 selling 6 rams with a top price of £4,000. Stewart Lathangie (Pyeston) was hot on his tails with 8 ram lambs sold at an average of £1,127 and a top price of £6,000.

Peter Gray (Scrogton) was the top performer in Ring 8 (MV accredited Shearlings), clearing 12 sheep at an average of nearly £1,405 with a top price of £4,500. Fiona Wight (Wights) had the second highest price in the Shearling ring with her ram getting £4,000 and selling her pen of 14 with an average of £1,014. The MV registered shearlings in ring 8 cleared 208 sheep with an average of £789, up £92 on 2018. Ring 14, which is for non MV accredited Suffolks, sold 411 shearlings at an average of £636. Society members selling through the non-accredited ring 14 sold 74 shearlings for an average of £796 with J Elliott (Roxburgh Mains) getting an average of £953 for his pen of 35.

Suffolk Sheep Society Chief Executive Robin McIlrath said “it has been a really good sale this year for the ram lamb ring. Once again Suffolks dominate with the  two top prices of £6,000 for all lamb sold and with Suffolks accounting for nearly 50% of all ram lamb sales at Kelso. Although there were less Shearlings through the accredited ring this year the average was up by £92.” He went on to say “the Kelso sale is used by many as a benchmark for the commercial trade and we are delighted with this year’s trade – lambs dominated with an increase on the number of lambs sold, the top 2 prices at the sale and nearly 50% of the overall lamb trade. With shearlings increasing their average by over £90, this is more evidence of the role Suffolks play in the Commercial world.”

There is always confusion to rings being classified as “Registered” or “Non Registered”. This is not an indication of Society membership, it simply relates to the Maedi Visna Accreditation scheme.  Registered rings refer to a ring were all vendors must be in the MV scheme and Non Registered refers to a ring were breeders sell sheep that are not required to be in the MV scheme. Some members choose to sell their accredited sheep in the non-registered ring.

Show

Once again, there was considerable interest in the Harbro Sponsored Suffolk Pedigree Show held on the eve of the sale. Judge Peter Derryman (Mount Pleasant Farm, Devon) had a challenge picking the winners with some excellent stock brought forward in both the Shearling and Lamb classes. Congratulations to Stephen and Louise Buckley (Sitlow Flock) for winning the Breed Champion with his Ram Lamb (lot 3560). The  Reserve Champion from Ring 8 was Messrs A Gray and Son’s Shearling Ram lot 2972 (Langside Flock). Lilburn Estates (Roseden Flock) was runner up in the Ram Lamb Class and in the Shearling Class E A and L Jackson (Rugley Flock) lifted the Reserve tcket. The results were:

Lamb Class

1^st and Breed Champion – S Buckley (Sitlow) lot 3560

2^nd Lilburn Estates (Roseden) lot 3651

3^rd – W and H Fleming (Hallhill) lot 3483

Shearling Class

1^st and Reserve Champion Messrs A Gray & Son (Langside) lot 2972

2^nd – E A and L Jackson (Rugley) lot 2825

3^rd – S and H Illingworth (Glenrock) lot 2865

The sale highlights and averages were as follows:

Table 1  Ring 8 Shearling Rams from Society Members (Top 10 by Average)

Name	Highest Price	No of Sheep Sold	Average
Mr P Gray, Scrogton 6X	£4,500	12	£1,404
Mrs Fiona Wight, Wight CDW	£4,000	14	£1,014
Messrs A Gray and Son, Langside, 60L	£2,000	14	£914
Mrs I M Fowlie Essie H6	£1,200	24	£805
G and B Ingram, Logie Durno, HCT	£3,800	5	£760
E A and L Jackson Rugley 10P	£1,600	29	£714
J Watson and Co, Brijon X22	£1,500	29	£706
Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership, Roseden G34	£1,600	13	£685
Kirsty Bailey, Easton LVW	£1,300	12	£669
J Hepburn and Co, Northhouse FOV	£1,600	12	£632

Table 2  Ring 10 Ram Lambs from Society Members (Top 10 by Average)

Name	Highest Price	No of Sheep Sold	Average
S Buckley Sittinglow Sitlow 45Z 34	£4,000	6	£1,197
Stewart Lathangie Pyeston Farm Pyeston LVL	£6,000	8	£1,127
S and G Brown Woodhead Farm Capielaw JTO	£2,100	9	£798
Lilburn Estates Farming Partnership, Roseden G34	£1,200	3	£793
George L Stuart Milltown Of Birness Birness 1W	£1,300	12	£774
R H Black Newton Of Collessie Collessie 416	£2,500	15	£700
M L Evans Tower Gate Farm Jubilee Y31	£1,500	16	£513
Mrs H Goldie Harpercroft Harpercroft 249	£750	10	£454
Gordon A Mackie Drimmie Farm Drimmie 583	£850	12	£451
J R Irving Hilltop Glenreiver NLZ	£620	6	£437

Table 3 Ring 14 Shearling Rams Non MV Registered (Top 5 Society Members by Average)

Name	Highest Price	No of Sheep Sold	Average
J Elliot, Roxburgh Mains 9003	£2,000	35	£953
Mrs A Campbell, Glenrath B8	£1,000	8	£900
W D Mundell & Sons, Meigle W91	£1,400	10	£895
Mrs J S Laing, Oxmuir F48	£1,200	7	£596
J F Stott and Sons T6	£550	14	£443

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