Ram Sale Crucial to UK Sheep Flock Development
10th September 2018
The pivotal role of Europe’s biggest ram sale in developing key sheep breeds in the UK will be highlighted at the 40th anniversary sale. The event will be attended by HRH The Princess Royal at the Royal Welsh Showground on Monday 17 th September.
The NSA Wales and Border Ram Sale was the brainchild of the late Verney Pugh OBE, who spotted the need for a multi-breed ram sale south of Kelso in Scotland. It was masterminded by the late George Hughes MBE, who chaired the committee for 32 years.
The multi-breed ram sale is renowned for quality, with each tup individually inspected by a team trained by the sale vet. It is a huge economic driver in Mid Wales and the emphasis on quality and veterinary inspection has helped to improve standards throughout the sheep industry.
The Lleyn, the Blue Faced Leicester, and consequently the Welsh Mule, are among those breeds that have benefited from the sale. HRH The Queen Mother took a personal interest and regularly sent consignments of rams from her Castle of Mey flock to promote the North Country Cheviot further south.
The sale also made it easier for farmers to experiment as the late 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of the continental breeds, without their having to make the long trip to Scotland. They could buy a Texel or a Charollais along with the then dominant Suffolk as a terminal sire.
As many as 11,000 rams from 33 different breeds sold in 22 rings when the sale was at its peak and the all time record price of 18,000 guineas was achieved by Llion Jones’s shearling Texel , Pant Wolf. The £2.5 million turnover means it is of significant economic importance in Mid Wales, also bringing trade to hotels, guest houses and ancillary businesses during the run up to the sale.
