Thame Mules stand on at £171 despite drought

Breeding ewe prices at Thame Sheep Fair were only marginally down on last year’s record values, despite drought-like conditions in the south-east of England.

The annual event, held last week in Oxfordshire, is often regarded as setting the trend for the autumn sale season, now getting under way.

Elsewhere, Welshpool reported a yearling average of £173, to leave an overall average of £165 a head for 695 breeding ewes on Monday (8 August).

See also: Early shearling trade pressured by drought and costs

Reflecting on last week’s trade, Thame Farmers Mart auctioneer Simon Draper said there was relief among vendors that strong demand from areas where grass is still growing had kept a firm base in prices, as well as a flying trade for cull ewes and early fat lambs.

However, lack of available grazing had meant that vendors had spent more to bring sheep to the ring in saleable condition.

Mr Draper said: “Some will have fed, especially if the sheep have had lambs, and that’s cost them considerably more. But I think they will all have gone away today thinking they have got out of jail – they have had a pretty good day really, all things considered.

“There are hardly any older ewes [for sale] at all. We would normally see 400-500 and there’s been none – two pens.”

Store lamb trade

Dry weather also helped bring a large entry of store lambs to the sale ring on the Friday, making an average of £72.21 for mainly long-keep types, Mr Draper said.

While just 1,800 had been catalogued, more had been entered late after producers reassessed their options, having run out of forage and chosen not to feed earlier in the season because of high creep feed prices.

“People have decided it’s time to sell, and the worrying thing for us is those sheep will go away. They won’t stay in this area now because there is no grass, so we’re not going to see them back as hoggs,” he added.