BUYERS and bidders from all over the UK attended the Blue Faced Leicester sheep sale at Tavistock Livestock Centre last week.

Auctioneer David Landick said the sales and shows held at the centre had gone 'very well indeed' and while prices were 'not particularly high' the high level of interest shown by bidders in Dartmoor animals was very encouraging.

Princetown farmer Neil Cole said he was 'pleased as punch' about the way the sale had gone.

'It's a real feather in the cap for Tavistock. To have someone bidding over the phone from Scotland for Dartmoor sheep has never happened before, and he didn't buy one, he bought four. It was a good price, not terrific, but the fact that people are beginning to sit up and pay attention to what we are doing down here is fantastic.'

The show was judged by Harold Braddick.?He placed Neil Cole's shearling ram E5 Greenwell Farm as champion.?It was sired by B8 Cottage and goes back to Gleane Magners A1 which has done well for Jimmy Bell and Stuart Park in Scotland, on the dam side Z1 Groft, which was well known locally for not only his size but also having very good teeth and colour. The ram later sold for 550 gns. 

Second prize was E14 Killerton for Brian Dallyn, sired by C1 Martin Grange from well respected local breeder Helen Havill which realised 480 gns.   Third prize went to E17 Greenwell Farm from Neil Cole, which sold for 380 gns. Fourth prize went ton Helen Havill with E7 Martin Grange. which sold for 350gns.

A strong show of ram lambs gave the judge a hard task but in the end he placed first and reserve champion, F6 Yelland, sired by E5 Sealhouses bred by Peter Heard, which unfortunately did not sell, followed by second prize lamb, F1 Greenwell Farm from Neil Cole.?This lamb was sired by D3 Old Hemley, a ram known for very good teeth as well as his power and colour, which sold for 480 gns.

The ram lamb was out of a ewe that got third prize at the Royal Welsh Show for the Abberley family and was also the twin to the famous A5 Old Hemley and purchased by Drew Coulter in Scotland. 

Third prize went to Peter Heard with F7 Yelland, sired by E3 Hewgill which sold for 500gns.  Fourth prize was F4 Greenwell  Farm, again from Neil Cole, a dark lamb with B8 Cottage and D3 Old Hemley blood, proving to be a good mix, selling for 410 gns.

The female class had a good selection and the judge placed F12 Yelland from Peter Heard first and also female champion, selling for 134 gns, followed by E33 Martin Grange from Helen Havill second, which sadly did not sell.  Third prize went to E30 Cloverfields from Neil Cole which sold for 120 gns and fourth to E11 Beacon Hill which did not sell.

Store lambs topped at £60.50 for A Legassick, Tavistock.  Ewe lambs reached £57 for a pen of Welsh Mule ewe lambs from M S Hillborn, Saltash. 

The livestock centre also held the special sale of ewe lambs, including second season sale of mule ewe lambs and the annual show and sale of Scotch blackface females. A total of 570 mule ewe lambs, 59 mule ewes, 280 Scotch ewe lambs, 171 Scotch ewes, 40 Swaledale ewes, 31 Bluefaced Leicester rams and ram lambs and 22 Bluefaced Leicester ewes and ewe lambs forward.  

Champion pen was won by P L Heard, Okehampton, with a pen of lambs bred out of Swaledale ewes which later sold for £122 for a pen of ten. Reserve champion pen went to KC and JC Heard, Okehampton with a pen of lambs bred out of Scotch Blackface ewes which sold for £95 for a pen of 10.

Swaledale bred class: 1, P L Heard, Okehampton for his pen of lambs which was placed champion; 2, P and W Coaker, Widecombe for their pen of ten lambs that realised £88.

Scotch bred class: 1, K C and J C Heard, Okehampton, for their pen of lambs which was placed reserve champion; 2, N H and M J Cole, Princetown, for their pen of ten which realised £77; 3, Abel Brothers, Peter Tavy for their pen of 12 which realised £62. The ewe lambs averaged £73.49.  

In the Scotch classes, champion pen went to I G Mortimore, Chagford with a pen of ten 2T ewes which realised £150. Reserve champion pen went to S G Palmer and Sons, Peter Tavy, with ten Scotch ewe lambs later selling for £88.

1, I G Mortimore, Chagford, with a pen of ten 2T ewes which was placed champion; 2, Frenchbeer Farms, Chagford, with a pen of ten FM ewes which realised £76; 3, W K J Harding, Throwleigh, with a pen of ten 4T, 6T and FM ewes which realised £50. Scotch ewes averaged £61.96 per head, £5 up on the average for 2012. 

First prize for Scotch ewe lambs went to S G Palmer and Sons, Peter Tavy, for a pen of ten, also gaining reserve champion; 2, R J Hill and Son, Mary Tavy, with a pen of ten Scotch ewe lambs realising £73. 3, K J Watson, Postbridge, with a pen of ten Scotch ewe lambs realising £53.