THERE was record interest in the Dartmoor Sheepbreeders? Association?s 80th annual show and sale, held at Exeter Livestock Centre for the first time.
The event attracted unprecedented interest with more than 100 people gathered around the ring at the start and buyers from as far away as Kent, North Wales, the Midlands and even further north. It was thehighest number of different buyers recorded for many years, assisting in the, achievement of an almost total clearance.
Records tumbled throughout the sale, society chairman Janet Rogers putting in the top bid of the day, £640.50, for a high genotype scoring shearling ram from the noted Corndon flock of Courtney Mortimore, of Chagford.
Mr Mortimore also exhibited the champion sheep of the show, a shearling ram by the same Coolings 91 sire, selling for £325.50 to new flockmaster Colin Pearse, of North Bovey, while show judge Graham Hampstead from Boston,Lincolnshire, sold one of his high genotype scoring consignment, by Princetown 13, to Mrs Lynne Jackson, of Flintshire. for £567.
Females also saw a tremendous trade with several buyers from all over the country looking to found new flocks. Ewe hogs twice reached £162.75, for E W Wakeham, of East Allington, and Mrs M Kirkham and Mrs R Brailsford, of Chagford, with an overall sale average for shearling ewes of £125.65