Swaledale rams prove their worth at sales

Swaledales are essential to the three-tier system which produces most of the UK lamb crop and breeders are feeling the benefit of a fierce competition for the best stock for next year.

In the north of England, Swaledale ewes are traditionally mated with Bluefaced Leicesters to produce Mules and the young Mule ewes, known as gimmers, are then taken off the hills to cross with bigger "terminal sires" to make lambs to rear on lowland grass.

Pure Swaledale rams are needed to make the ewes at the start of the chain and the annual sales of young rams run by the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association amount to a barometer of confidence in the business.

The record, for a top animal in a good year is 101,000. This year's figures are not that high but still impressive in comparison with most other sheep sales – although the Scottish Blackface, the Swaledale's equivalent north of the border, has done similarly well.

The Swaledale Association has five districts: A – Tees Valley; B – Yorkshire Dales; C – Cumbria, most of Lancashire and Scotland; D – Weardale and most of Northumberland; and E – a patch of the North Yorkshire Moors.

The D and A and E sales are relatively small and the big competition is between the C sales, held at Kirkby Stephen last week, and the Bs, at Hawes on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Kirkby Stephen scored a 34,000 valuation for one animal, bred by Messrs Wear of Howe Green, Patterdale, in the Lakes, and bid for by M & EM Wilson of Lunedale, Teesdale. Among the Yorkshire sellers, JW Porter & Sons of Low Gunnerside, in Swaledale itself, got a 20,000 bid for one of theirs from T Robinson & Sons of Slaidburn, near Clitheroe.

In each case, the breeder stumped up half the winning bid to keep a 50 per cent share in his animal – a complicated but common arrangement.

Over three days at Kirkby Stephen shearling rams averaged around 1,535 and a number fetched between 30,000 and 10,000.

Stuart Bell, auctioneer for Harrison & Hetherington, said: "The money starts down in the lowland sales in July and August and the buyers come north and up the hills and pass it on."

By comparison, top price at a sale of Dalesbred rams at Skipton recently was 400 guineas.

At Hawes on Wednesday and Thursday this week, the average for 666 rams was 1,779. MR Eubank of Middlesmoor, near Pateley Bridge, set the season's record with a 52,000 sale to Derbyshire's Paul Hallam.

EC Coates, of Gunnerside, Swaledale, sold for 45,000 to a syndicate including J Nelson & Son of Clapham.

WC Parker & Son of Reeth, Swaledale, sold for 40,000 to Messrs Lightfoot of Glen Rhydding, Cumbria. RF & R. Harker of Holme, near Carnforth, sold for 40,000 to another syndicate.

CW 30/10/10