Double delight for Oswestry sheep farmer
Oswestry sheep farmer Martin Jones has completed a notable silverware double.
Martin, from Lower Forest, The Racecourse, followed up his cup win at Oswestry Market by winning the silverware on offer in the Christmas Fatstock Show and Sale at Shrewsbury Auction Centre with his pen of Dutch Texel lambs.
The 44 kilo lambs sold for £230 per head to Hough and Sons Butchers, Church Stretton.
Martin also took the runner-up prize with a pen of 37 kilo lambs purchased by the judge, Simon Jenner, of Jenner Livestock, on behalf of Pak Mecca Meats. Best single lamb sold for £210 to Berriew Butchers.
Martin completed a family double at Shrewsbury, as his grandson, Ralph Potter, won the same cup last year.
“It’s an honour to win the cup and it does mean a lot to me because it’s an endorsement of the quality of my lambs from the judge, against good competition,” said Martin.
Explaining his choice of the champion, Mr Jenner said: “In my opinion, it’s the most consistent pen in a very good overall show of lambs which are a credit to the farmers.
“I attend seven markets every week across the country and Shrewsbury has good quality, local stock. The market is very convenient for the customers I supply who are mainly in Birmingham.”
Nearly 1,100 fat lambs went under the hammer at the market with Halls reporting a fantastic atmosphere and trade throughout the sheep pens. The overall lambs average was 266p per kilo.
Six hundred cull ewes met with a much stronger trade than in previous weeks, with an overall average of £90. The prize for best single ewe was won by H. Paddock from Ludlow with a texel cross ewe at £210 which was brought by Mr Jenner.
Champion pen of five continental ewes went to Chris Paddock which sold for £190. First prize for a pen of five native ewes went to J. Higgins and Son for Suffolk Mules which sold for £150 to the judge.
“It has been a bumper year for the cull ewes at Shrewsbury,” Halls auctioneer Chris Potter. “A huge thank you to the judge and the sponsors for this year’s Christmas fatstock and to all vendors and purchasers for their continued support over the last 12 months.”
