McCartneys Brecon reports a strong week of trading across both its store cattle spring show and sale and its weekly sheep market, with solid demand and competitive bidding seen throughout.

At the Spring Show and Sale of Store Cattle, Young Feeding Bulls and Cull Cows held on April 24, judge Ms Ellie Hargreaves of Preston selected DMG Millichap & Partners, Hendreowen Farm, as Overall Champions, with EL & JD Jones, Neuadd Fawr, taking Reserve Champion honours.

The Young Feeding Bulls trade was described as “excellent” with 22 forward averaging 383.7ppk, topping at 417ppk and £2,350 per head. Strong demand was noted across all types. Six active buyers were present, with demand spanning smaller long-term sorts through to stronger, well-bred continental types, with the mart reporting confidence in continued capacity for numbers.

Cull cows remained a standout feature of the cattle sale, with trade described as firm despite wider market fluctuations in other categories. The section topped at 327.8ppk and £3,180 for a 970kg Limousin cross cow (144 months) from T E Jones & Co, Brecon, with further strong prices including £2,690 for another Limousin cross from the same home and £2,680 for a 885kg cow from TI & GM Edmunds & Son, Treharris. Brecon can easily sell more than 50 Culls every month, so sellers are encouraged to get them entered.

In the store cattle section, steers averaged 425.2ppk, reaching a top of 544.7ppk and £2,670 per head, while heifers averaged 427.7ppk, topping at 855.6ppk and £3,850 per head. A notable run from E A Davies saw 20 Limousin x British Blue heifers and steers (9-10 months) averaging 459.75ppk and £2,096 per head. HG & IW Rees also saw strong results from a purebred Limousin entry (10–15 months), averaging 474.01ppk and £2,097.50 per head.

At the weekly sheep sale on April 28, McCartneys reported a quality entry of spring lambs, finished hoggets and cull sheep, with overall strong demand despite variable quality in some sections.

A total of 153 spring lambs were forward, with vendors travelling from as far as Bridgend and Carmarthen. The SQQ for the lambs averaged 456.2ppk. Top prices were led by B M Amphlett, who achieved 467ppk for 42kg Texel cross Mule lambs, followed closely by C & B Williams at 466ppk. Heavier lambs reached £209.62 per head for Suffolk cross lambs from EB & S Jones & Son, while lighter Dorset types sold to 452ppk and 446ppk. The trade remained strong throughout, with many pens selling above 446ppk.

Finished hoggets saw 280 head forward, with an SQQ of 383.6ppk and an overall average of 400ppk. Export-type hoggets peaked at 416ppk for 43kg Texel types from AO & JEM Williams, while heavier hoggets topped at £186.66 from D M G Millichap & Partners.

Cull sheep also showed notable improvement on the week, with best meated ewes reported £25–£30 dearer. Stronger ewes regularly made over £150, hill-bred types reached £130+, and leaner sorts ranged £80–£120.