Levy and donations put new life into market

Livestock markets have endured turbulent times for the past three decades.

Yorkshire has lost more than half its weekly trading centres for cattle, sheep and pigs in that time and the likes of Driffield, Ripon, Stokesley, Hull, Masham and Wetherby either didn’t reopen after foot and mouth disease ravaged the farming world in 2001 or hobbled along for a few years before finally admitting defeat.

It has been a long haul back to a strong business base for some of those who remain but the past two years of strong prices for both cattle and sheep, allowing for a dip in sheep prices just a few weeks ago, have been encouraging and those who are still standing now appear to be in a stronger position than they have for some time. Farmers who had chosen to sell direct rather than going to market have returned to the place where many believe they should have stayed.

York, Selby and Skipton all moved to new premises on the edge of their respective towns a number of years ago. Thirsk moved in 2006 and it’s soon to be the turn of Malton to follow suit.

One man who knows all about how long a haul it has been to get to Malton’s current position is Pat Foxton. He’s used to any kind of journey as he’s not just a farmer who has been attending Malton since he was three years old, he’s also a livestock haulier too. He farms at North Farm, Silpho near Scarborough where he and his wife Moira own a 120-acre mixed farming enterprise including sheep and cattle, along with a bull hire business. He started in livestock haulage after taking over from Harry Tindall of Harwood Dale about 25 years ago and is a regular at both Malton and Ruswarp marts four days a week.

Pat is chairman of the relatively new Malton & Ryedale Farmers Livestock Market Company, the organisation that recently became the successful bidder to lease the existing town centre site and that next year hopes to start work on building a new livestock market near to Eden Camp.

He knows only too well the strategic importance of a livestock market in the Malton area not just from a farmer and haulier’s perspective but also as an East Yorkshire-born farmer’s and butcher’s son.

“I’ve seen the closure of Seamer, Driffield and Beverley, which means the livestock farmers around the Wolds have a lot further to travel in order to get their stock to market. I was born in Tibthorpe, near Driffield and I would go to Beverley, Driffield, Malton and York marts with either my father of grandfather from being just three years old. Moira and I still lived in Tibthorpe until we moved to Silpho in 1977 when we became the youngest tenants of the Duchy of Lancaster’s estate.

“My involvement in the future of the market began in 2005-06 when a petition was started by a local weekly newspaper to save Malton Livestock Market from closure. The lease was due to terminate in April 2008 and renewal was felt unlikely.”

The owners of the site were and are keen to develop the site and thereby encourage more visitors to the town and increase its prosperity.

The future of another of Yorkshire’s livestock markets was very much in the balance and that’s where Pat came in.

“The newspaper had managed to get the ball rolling with 250 signatures but didn’t have enough time of its own to keep it growing.

“It was felt that it would be better if there was someone who was regularly at the market to front it and my name was put forward.”

The petition has now grown to over 5,000 signatures 
and the possible closure in 2008, which had been anticipated by many, did not transpire. Pat, in spite of all his efforts, was still amazed that his and others’ work in keeping the mart open had succeeded.

“I was more shocked than anyone. All of a sudden it was no longer a case of the market was to close, it was a question of what to do next. The Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation made tentative approaches through their agent asking us what we proposed to do.”

Pat and his fellow farmers, hauliers and livestock auctioneers are now working with the owners of the present market site with a view to moving to a new site near to Eden Camp.

“The bulk of our supporters accept that we have to make this move. This in-town site is no longer appropriate to our needs and we fully understand the need to redevelop in Malton.

“We don’t want to be the ones who stand in the way of progress and due to our working relationship with the owners we want the best possible solution for all of our interested parties.

“The Trust will be putting in an application in the early part of 2014 to cover the five acre site west of Eden Camp and in the meantime we have been developing our own fund in order to get the new building up and under way.

“I have always maintained that the only way I could see a new market getting the support of all farmers in the area would be if it was owned and run by farmers.

“That’s no disrespect to Boulton Cooper Stephenson and Cundalls who have run it as Malton Livestock Auctioneers and they will still play a big part in the new enterprise.

“It’s just that I feel that if farmers have shares in it they then have a vested interest in its success.

“They’re not then dealing with an organisation that may be taking a potential profit that they feel they have some kind of right to.

“Currently we have a substantial sum pledged 
from farmers and users 
of the market and we also receive a voluntary deduction of 10p on every sheep sold and 90p on each beast from those who are signed up to make voluntary contributions.”

Building up the quality

Pat and Moira Foxton bought North Farm in 1996 and have two grown-up offspring – son James, who has farmed in Kenya for the past 14 years, and daughter Lorna. Both are married and have produced four grandchildren. Pat and Moira are presently converting a quadrangle of buildings into quality holiday accommodation. Pat and his fellow directors have put in hundreds of hours to oversee the move from the centre of the town to the outskirts. Now, the stage is close to being all-set for the new Malton Livestock Market.