Why deadweight

All dead or all sold to 1 person direct like cull ewes.
Scab, distance, time, corruption, poor prices to name a few things.

last Year I failed to fit 25 lambs on a lorry going DW. I scanned the tags and took them straight to mart, declaring as they were being sold that they couldn’t fit on the lorry but they were all fit to kill ( All 38-42kg ) £21/head difference between the ones that went direct and the ones I took to the mart plus I wasted 6 hours being there 🤦🏻‍♂️I realised after it would have been quicker for me to have taken the lambs passed the mart and straight to slaughterhouse and been £525 better off.


Those of you with good marts not far away don’t realise how lucky you are!
If I was buying fat lambs and a vendor declared that the lambs where only there because they couldn't fit on the lorry with the DW lambs, I would not bid on then if I wasn't getting the chance to bid on all your lamb. .
Those of us lucky enough to have good mart close by have them because we take all our lambs there not just the one that cant fit in the lorry or the rubbish at the end of the season.
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
If I was buying fat lambs and a vendor declared that the lambs where only there because they couldn't fit on the lorry with the DW lambs, I would not bid on then if I wasn't getting the chance to bid on all your lamb. .
Those of us lucky enough to have good mart close by have them because we take all our lambs there not just the one that cant fit in the lorry or the rubbish at the end of the season.
Fair enough that’s a good reason 👍🏻
 

Hilly

Member
Surely the competition commission needs to be stepping in...
No chance they are useless
If I was buying fat lambs and a vendor declared that the lambs where only there because they couldn't fit on the lorry with the DW lambs, I would not bid on then if I wasn't getting the chance to bid on all your lamb. .
Those of us lucky enough to have good mart close by have them because we take all our lambs there not just the one that cant fit in the lorry or the rubbish at the end of the season.
Correct !
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
If I was buying fat lambs and a vendor declared that the lambs where only there because they couldn't fit on the lorry with the DW lambs, I would not bid on then if I wasn't getting the chance to bid on all your lamb. .
Those of us lucky enough to have good mart close by have them because we take all our lambs there not just the one that cant fit in the lorry or the rubbish at the end of the season.

Maybe if they had looked after @Al R , he would have sent all his lambs to the mart the next year?

But no, they couldn’t help themselves but lift his leg. That’s the sort of nonsense that drives folk away from live marts imo.
 

Frank-the-Wool

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
I sell most of my sheep that I don't sell direct to Butchers through the market.
However being in a TB1 area means i am reluctant to pre movement test too many as every time there is a risk of getting a reactor or an inconclusive.
Once we have a clear herd test then we sell as much as possible through the markets.
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
I hope this isn't another one hit post from the opening poster,nether to be seen again @Hfd Cattle ,time for a coffee now
..... posts were coming in so fast I hadn't the time to keep up !
The question came really cos a friend of mine was saying how good the live selling is gett ing ....yet he will still only sell deadweight and passes several markets to do it .
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
On the subject of weighing most markets will be inspected randomly by trading standards .
If they have a digital setup then I think the weight is automatically logged and the only input is the quantity on the weighbridge . In a store sale while it's nice to have the weight up most will be buying as they see them and the weight would just be a guide .
 

Hampton

Member
BASIS
Location
Shropshire
P
On the subject of weighing most markets will be inspected randomly by trading standards .
If they have a digital setup then I think the weight is automatically logged and the only input is the quantity on the weighbridge . In a store sale while it's nice to have the weight up most will be buying as they see them and the weight would just be a guide .
its easy to dodge that with lambs though, as they are weighed by the pen.
8 lambs in a pen at 40kg = 320kg
If that pen comes to 319kg they mark them as 39kg and buyer gets an extra 7 free kg (approx 15 quid)
Some will mark down even harder as they don’t have an overhead display

I’m all for marts, but the lack of transparency will be their own downfall
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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