Where to send cull ewes & odds'n'sods around Scotland and Northern England.

[CopperBeech]

You will always find same buyers mostly, or at least folk buying for them. Most ewes and most lambs really all end up a small number of places. Never got why some folk dont sell in spec fat stock direct rather than selling to a dealer who then sells it to where you could, but obviously takes a cut. Obviously only works if you can put together loads etc.

 

[MDL POWERUP]

If you're sending a decent number would it not pay for one of you to see the stock sold? The only times I've not been happy with prices is when I haven't stood by them.

 

[Smith31]

Hi aangus, we've tried sending them south, north and east the past few years, always seems to be the same buyers we're running into. 75% of the time it's a reasonable market price but the other 25% is pitiful, with running on tighter and tighter margins a few of us are looking to kill direct if we can circumvent the current routes.

If you have lean fit ewes they will always do well, anything fat or too lean will not perform as well, regardless of where they are sent. You need to establish why the 25% performed worse.

 

[johnspeehs]

You are going to come up against the same problems sending them to the factory, I know for a fact that the bigger dealers sending ewes into the local factory are getting 25p per kilo more than the rest of us for the simple reason they are there every week and can strike a better deal. The factories know if they need a load of sheep they can ring one of them and have them in an hr or two. They don't have many loyalties to farmers unless it suits them.

 

[Top Tip.]

Out of the north of Scotland at the moment Penrith seems to be the market of choice for the dealers to put ewes through. Longtown was the place for a long time but it seems to be more farmers ewes from the north that are going there.

 

[Optimus]

Haulage might knacker the job down to DC but worth asking.

We send some of our lambs down to carnaby.used to free haulage for a couple years but did have to pay something last year wasn't much though.

 

[livestock 1]

The ewe job has changed. Time was when you could hold ewes or sheep in general for times of high demand but that’s not so easy now. The folks that buy them have got wise to this and dealers and farmers so these ewes are now held on some of their own land before hand so not to create a price hike. We’ve been caught out with this recently where when you hold onto stock for a demand period the price drops as too many sheep have been bought up by everyone else for the same job.
There are reliable buyers if you want to go direct but take care especially if they start using an agent as that agent could end up being expendable and you along with him. Been done before
WS will be leading down from your area
A lot put through the auctions to ensure getting paid
What sort of a turn have you been getting? That can make a difference with ewes there. Too early or late is not good

 

[Obi Wan]

You need to establish why the 25% performed worse.

It's every 4th sale rather than 25% from each sale, it's to do with where we're ending up in the catalogue more than anything.

Out of the north of Scotland at the moment Penrith seems to be the market of choice for the dealers to put ewes through. Longtown was the place for a long time but it seems to be more farmers ewes from the north that are going there.

Yes we've had some contact with them the last few days, just looking at transport options now.

The ewe job has changed. Time was when you could hold ewes or sheep in general for times of high demand but that’s not so easy now. The folks that buy them have got wise to this and dealers and farmers so these ewes are now held on some of their own land before hand so not to create a price hike. We’ve been caught out with this recently where when you hold onto stock for a demand period the price drops as too many sheep have been bought up by everyone else for the same job.
There are reliable buyers if you want to go direct but take care especially if they start using an agent as that agent could end up being expendable and you along with him. Been done before
WS will be leading down from your area
A lot put through the auctions to ensure getting paid
What sort of a turn have you been getting? That can make a difference with ewes there. Too early or late is not good

^All sound advice, would normally try and sell on the rising market than waiting for the peak, we've made the same mistake as you mentioned and actually got a lower price as to much became available. Turns have normally been middle to later in the sale, It defiantly makes a big difference if there's a selective trade.