Store cattle sold for more than £2,000 at Shropshire auction

Buyers from across England and Wales gathered in Bishops Castle for the sale of 225 store cattle by Halls Auctioneers.

Twenty-two of these cattle fetched over £2,000 each.

James F. Evans, director and auctioneer at Halls, said that the price of store and fat cattle has risen by about £500 per head in the past three months.

This is due to a shortage of beef in the world market.

He said: "The highest deadweight price for prime cattle in the UK last year was £5 per kilo and many people thought that would not be beaten, yet here we are in February with a current price of £6.35 per kilo."

He went on to praise Bishops Castle Auction, saying: "Bishops Castle Auction is achieving among the top prices per kilo in the UK because of the high quality store cattle that we sell, which is thanks to the support of our farmer clients across Shropshire and Mid Wales."

The average sale price was £1,680.63.

Steers averaged £1,684.57 or 391p per kilo, and heifers averaged £1,675.15 or 375p per kilo.

Feeding bulls averaged £1,614.29 or 358p per kilo.

Mr Evans noted that the auction was supported by a range of vendors with great confidence.

He said: "It is pleasing to see Bishops Castle Auction being supported by a range of vendors with great confidence and we thank them for placing their trust with us to achieve the best for their stock, whether it be store cattle, prime sheep or cull sheep."

In addition to the cattle sale, the auctioneers also sold 820 lambs and 100 ewes at Bishops Castle Auction on Friday, February 21, with lambs averaging 345p per kilo overall, 350p per kilo Standard Quality Quotation (SQQ) or £160 per head.

Halls are holding a sale of store cattle for Bishops Castle & District Quality Cattle Association on Thursday, March 6, with entries closing at 5pm on Thursday, February 27.