The National Sheep Association (NSA) has said the Brecon Livestock Mart is prepared to host its first “brisk and buoyant” NSA Wales Border Early Ram Sale.
Organisers are upbeat about the prospects for the first sale at the new venue, the trade association for UK sheep farmers said.
The venue is owned and run by McCartneys and the partner in charge is Jenny Layton Mills.
She is looking forward to the event and said the location is perfect, with a good road structure linking it with South, Mid and West Wales and beyond.
Layton Mills said: “We’re looking forward to hosting the NSA Wales & Border Early Ram Sale this year and we’ll make sure the day runs as smoothly as possible.
“Together with the other auctioneers involved, we’ll be working hard to get the best prices possible. Our market is also just over an hour from the Severn Bridge and so attracts a lot of buyers from South West England.
“It’s a centralised market with easy loading and unloading and access to the border counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Shopshire. These are all areas where people are early lambing. We also have a great café.”
‘Quality tups’
James Amphlett of McCartneys represents livestock auctioneers on the NSA Wales & Borders Ram Sales committee.
He said that the sale will follow the same pattern as it has in previous years.
“We aim to provide quality tups from a good choice of breeds to continue providing for early lambing flocks. This service is essential to the future of the sheep industry in the UK,” he said.
NSA Wales & Border Ram Sale chair, Geoff Probert, said the move to Brecon marks a brand new chapter for the early sale and reflects the positive outlook for its long-term future.
He said Brecon has a modern purpose built market with covered sheep pens and is an out of town location off a roundabout on the A40 trunk road.
He said: “We feel this is our best option to maintain the Early Ram Sale in its usual format. Brecon Market is a good facility, a spacious site with plenty of room to park.
“It’s the best move we can make. It means we’ll be able to maintain the two sales going forward, with a positive cash flow.
“We’ll be able to maintain the standards and improve on them. We’ve turned things round and we’re in a lot better position this year.”
The NSA Wales & Border Ram Sales committee has agreed to sell all sheep through one ring, so as not to split the buyers.
McCartneys porters will assist and their staff will collect licences and MV forms.
The order of sale, by drawn lots filmed to ensure accuracy, will start with Texels, sold by Clee Tompkinson and Francis, followed by Hereford Market Auctioneers selling the Charollais and then McCartneys with the cross bred tups.
Non MV sheep, entered by two vendors, will be sold after the MV sheep.
