A record price for a hill sheep of £105,000 was paid for a Swaledale ram from the Eden area which sold in front of a “buzzing” ringside at Kirkby Stephen auction mart.
And the excitement continued the next day, Friday, as another Swaledale ram, also bred by an Eden farmer, sold for the same sum.
The ram which first broke the record, called Ghyll House Notorious, was a shearling, born last year, and described by many experts as the best of its breed they had seen. It was bred by Messrs Richardson, of Ghyll House, Dufton, and bought by a partnership of two farmers — Mark Nelson, of Bull and Cave, Clapham, and Paul Hallam, from High Birkwith, Horton-in-Ribblesdale.
Mark Nelson said: “It’s an outstanding ram, with the shape, length and big head you want in a Swaledale — ones like that take a lot of breeding and only come up once every few years.”
Mark is himself a noted Swaledale breeder, with one of his shearling rams selling for £42,000 at the Kirkby Stephen sales.
Conducting the sale was auctioneer James Little, of mart operator Harrison and Hetherington, who said there was a lot of talk beforehand about the high quality of the Ghyll House ram.
“Bidding started at £10,000 and there was quite a rumble as the price rose,” he said. “It was a real buzz when we got to six figures — it’s what all auctioneers want to do, sell sheep for such high prices.”
The Swaledale ram which equalled the record came from the Lightfoot family, of Gillside Farm, Glenridding, and was purchased by Messrs Tully, Burncroft Farm, Eggleston, and Messrs White, Rigg Farm, Middleton-in-Teesdale, with the Lightfoots retaining a share.
Graham Lightfoot said: “We were expecting him to make a lot because he was the best we’ve ever bred and probably the best we ever will. We had a really good run of rams at the sale.”
The previous record price for a Swaledale ram stood at £101,000, paid at Kirkby Stephen mart in 2002 for a sheep bred by Arthur Slack, of Stoneriggs, Hilton.
The world record price for any sheep of £367,500 was paid for a Texel ram lamb sold in Scotland in 2020. The hardy Swaledale breed is valued mainly for its ability to produce cross-bred Mule females which in turn are crossed with “terminal” sires to give top quality lambs for the table — known as prime lambs. The Texel is one of the main terminal breeds.
Prime lamb prices have been strong this year, making it worthwhile for farmers to invest in the best breeding stock. On the other hand, support payments to the farming sector are continuing to fall.
