No spare cash for hot dogs
No spare cash for hot dogs
SHEEPDOG prices have dropped, as cash-strapped farmers look to rein in spending.
Dogs were changing hands in the £400 to £500 range at the annual auction at Kendal, Cumbria last Saturday. "There were no fewer people present," says auctioneer Kevin Kendal. "But theres not as much money about."
None made it to four figures, compared with three which topped 1000gns last autumn. Top was Ginny, an unregistered two-and-a-half-year-old bitch, which made £700. Close behind at £690 was Lad, a three-year-old registered dog.
Jeremy Eaton, who takes the rostrum at the Skipton auctions in North Yorks, has also seen farmers paying less. "Tightening the purse strings," as he puts it.
Decent sorts were making £400 to £500 at the latest Skipton sale – a drop of £150 or more on the spring offering, reflecting the drop in sheep prices, says Mr Eaton. And the highest bid was 1000gns, compared with 1480gns at the previous offering. *