Early Sales Split Across Wales & England
A top price of 3,500 guineas for a Charollais shearling ram was a great start for the first NSA Wales & Border early ram sales of 2025. The early sale was split across two days to accommodate vendors from England and Wales in the light of bluetongue restrictions, with the Brecon sale on the first day and Hereford on the second. It meant that only rams selling from England in the Brecon sale had to be blood tested. Vaccination was optional in both sales. The first sale in Brecon grossed £118,282.50 with 70.26% sold. The second early sale in Hereford was held as a service to vendors from England in the light of current bluetongue restrictions, with a top price of 1250 guineas for a Beltex x Charollais yearling from VJ & ML Roots. Average prices held up and Texel yearlings averaged 900 guineas.
Colin Roots said he regularly brought tups from Banbury to the early sale in Wales. He was glad of the sale in Hereford and happy with the prices for the 12 sold, averaging just short of 800 guineas. A Texel shearling from FH Chave & Son took 1200 guineas. Sue Chave said they had been bringing tups from the Devon/Somerset border to the NSA Wales & Border Sales for nearly 40 years and were grateful for the Hereford sale ‘to help with the situation we’re in’.
NSA Wales & Border Ram Sales Chairman Geoff Probert was pleased with the trade. He said the sales had been split to keep things going forward and to look after loyal vendors and customers. They had been satisfied with the arrangements. He said of the Brecon sale: “There was a good clearance and it sold very well in the circumstances. “It was a real team effort, with the committee, auctioneers and everyone working together. The venue worked well.”
And Brecon proved to be a great day for the headline breeder, Paul Curran. His Charollais shearling, Wernfawr Chieftain, was champion in the pre sale show. The ram had taken 2nd prize shearling at this year’s Royal Welsh Show, having been registered in May 2024. Paul Curran and his partner, Ally Davies, also took the highest price of 2,100 guineas in the cross bred section with a Charollais x Texel x Beltex yearling and a top price of 1200 guineas in the Suffolks. The couple breed Charollais, Texel, Suffolk and Beltex X tups at Wernfawr, Talgarth. They bred 14 pedigree Charollais tups this year, using embryo transfer. He said: “It was a pretty special day for us and it doesn’t come around very often! We’re very pleased with the trade for the Charollais here today. Our shearling is a heavily fleshed tup, with a big gigot. We registered him last year. We pick the best rams out in May and he is a yearling born in December 2023.”
Buyers Gwyn and Gail Jones praised him as a good shaped sheep, very correct. They spotted him at the Royal Welsh Show and had kept their eye on him. They also liked his father, Glyn Coch Ace. He will be used as a stock tup on their Chepstow based 70 Springfield ewes.
The highest price Texel went for 1450 guineas, bred by Gethin Hatcher, Gorsgoch, Llanybydder. The significance of the sale is such that one buyer travelled from Plymouth specifically to buy what turned out to be the second highest price Suffolk ram, from Richard Western’s Tredodridge Flock in the Vale of Glamorgan, for 1100 guineas. The January born shearling was champion lamb in the Suffolk class at the Royal Welsh Show 2024. Steve and Rachel Lang had travelled from Plymouth to add to their Langley Flock.
NSA Wales and Border Ram Sales Chairman Geoff Probert sold 12 Charollais rams from his Mortimer Flock for an average 907 guineas, with two at over 1,000 guineas. He praised the ‘very solid trade’ and was happy with the results at his first early sale as a vendor.
