Dutch Spotted females dominated much of the proceedings at a new multi-breed sale of pedigree sheep at Worcester Livestock Market, securing the majority of lead prices to include the 4900gns high.

Selling at this price was a Beech Hay-bred ewe with lambs from R and V Grinnall, Clows Top, Worcestershire. A daughter of the imported sire, Ambassador, out of an imported ewe, she sold with her February-born ewe and ram lamb at foot to CM Difford, Nelson, Mid Glamorgan.

Included in the 4900gns sale were the ewes two lambs

Included in the 4900gns sale were the ewe's two lambs

The same vendors also received 4000gns for the imported dry ewe, Choral of Beech Hay, purchased by P Langdown, Blandford, Dorset.

Pentre Bei, from RG and S Jones, Rhos Y Madoc, Wrexham, realised 3400gns when selling with a ewe and ram lamb at foot by Pentre Countryman. This outfit caught the eye of TR and GM Layton, Vowchurch, Herefordshire.

Lead priced ewe hogg at 4000gns also from the Grinnalls

Lead priced ewe hogg at 4000gns also from the Grinnalls

Matching that price, Sara Gibbons, Brecon, Powys, sold a recipient Llyen ewe with an ET-bred ram and ewe lamb at foot by Glencoy Chance, out of an imported ewe. Jonathan and Janet Corbett, Newent, Glos, buying for their Wedderburn flock were the final bidders and also went to 2800gns for a Zwartbles recipient ewe with a pair of ET lambs – a tup and a ewe lamb – by Glencoy Chance out of TipTop Candy, from T Mogg, Redditch.

Messrs Jones’ Pentre flock was back in the money, selling a recipient ewe carrying a pair of ewe lambs by the imported sire Baaboom for 2950gns, to M Kilroe, Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

Top price for a single ET-bred lamb on a recipient ewe was 2500gns paid by Goodwin Farms, Leominster, for another Glencoy Chance-sired ram lamb from Sara Gibbons.

Just behind, on 2400gns, Tom and Louise Nash, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, sold the imported ewe, Cilla, from their Merryboro flock, with a single tup lamb at foot by the imported sire Boris, to Adam Mitchell, Lutterworth, Leicestershire.

Outwith the Dutch Spotted breed, prices peaked at 1600gns for the Blue Texel gimmer, Miserden Epic, from Aubrey and Sue Andrews’ Miserden flock, Stroud, Glos. By Little Whisker Colyn and out of a home-bred ewe by Miserden Vinnie, she sold to an undisclosed buyer.

Next best was 950gns for a Blue Texel gimmer from Giles and Sally Hardman’s Farm Mill Blues flock, Low Bands, Glos, purchased by WW and JA McCurdie, Rugby, Warwickshire.

Auctioneers: McCartneys.

averages:

Dutch Spotted – Nine ewes and lambs and recipients £3074.22; four graded ewes and lambs £677.25; three dry grade 4 ewe hoggs £315.00. Blue Texels – Four ewe hoggs, £1147.13. Berrichon – Three ewe hoggs, £476.00

  • Dutch Spotted sheep will be offered for sale at the NSA Wales and Border main ram sale on September 20, this year, due to the growing popularity of the breed.

The society has chosen the sale at the Royal Welsh Showground to give commercial sheep producers from a wider area the opportunity to buy.

Ali Jackson, vice-chairman of Dutch Spotted Sheep UK, said: “The breed is expanding massively. Everybody wants them and we feel that the Builth sale is held in a large commercial sheep area and will therefore attract a lot of buyers.

“Our objective is to target commercial farmers, so Builth was an obvious choice. There has been a lot of interest in Wales and we have a lot of new members there.”

The sale will be open to aged rams, shearlings and ram lambs, as well as aged ewes, gimmers, ewe lambs and graded females. There will pens for MV and non-MV accredited flocks. Entry forms and schedules will be available from NSA Wales and Border Ram Sales.