THE Welsh Mules Sheep Society Association’s September sales saw steady trade throughout, with an increase in demand for stronger ewes and lambs in particular.

The yearling ewes sale held at Welshpool on September 11 saw a similar average to 2018 at £144 for the 5,783 sheep sold.

H & E Powell, Llwyngwilym, Rhayader topped the market at £235 for a pen of ewes sold to R P Richards, Glanlerry, Borth.

A total of 7,764 ewe lambs were sold the following day, averaging £100 and a £6 increase from the previous year, with the highest price of £210 received by G T Davies & Son, South Hill Farm, Wiston for a pen bought by Messrs Evans, Upper Ffridd, Caersws.

G T Davies & Son were also the winners of the competition for the best pen of ewe lambs entered at the sale with a pen of coloured-faced sheep.

At the Builth Wells sale on Friday, September 13, prices for yearlings increased by £9 compared to the same day in 2018 on the back of very competitive bidding for stronger ewes.

Yearlings averaged £151, with H & E Powell, Llwyngwilym, Rhayader again obtaining the best price, this time £255 for a pen sold to Messrs R T Jones & Co, Corrin, Garth, Builth Wells.

A total of 7,513 ewe lambs were entered, with the average for the day at £97 up £4 to 2018.

R G & B M Jones Tymawr, Garth, Builth Wells topped the market with a pen sold for £212, to H & E Powell, Llwyngwilym, Rhayader.

R G & B M Jones & Son won the prize for the best pen of ewe lambs at the sale, while the Elwyn Bennett Memorial Cup for the best total consignment of 80 or more ewe lambs was won by the late son of Elwyn Bennet, Stephen.

The last sale of the Welsh mule week at Ruthin on September 16 saw an increase in prices for both yearlings and ewe lambs.

Yearling ewes averaged £130, with the top price of £145 being gained by H C & T C Hughes, Llangwyfan Farm, Denbigh for a pen bought by T H Powell, Gil Eirych, Carog, Corwen.

G W Davies, Fferm, Trofarth, Abergele won the Keith Evans Memorial Cup for the best pen of yearling ewes.

Ewe lambs averaged £84, up by £10 on 2018, with Gareth Jones, Ty Nant, Eglwysbach receiving the best price at £128 from W Owen, Braich Saint, Cricieth, while G Davies, Penrallt, Nant Y Rhiw was awarded the prize for the best pen of ewe lambs.

Association field officer Joe Hamer thought that overall the quality of sheep brought forward had been excellent throughout and he was confident that both vendors and buyers had been generally satisfied. He felt that the consistent quality of stock would attract buyers to the October sales on the 12th and 17th of the month at Welshpool and Builth Wells respectively.

Kevin Parry, association chairman, was also pleased with the overall outcome.

He said: “I’m happy that the sales have held up so well.

"Commercial producers of finished lambs would have been particularly satisfied with the ewes on offer and had bought sheep that would serve them well.”