Numbers were up by around 1,000 on last year, with 6,000 mainly continental and Suffolk cross lambs sold through the ring to buyers from across the South of England and the West Country.
With a dry spring and summer having contributed to good quality, prices averaged around £60 per head. The best fleshed lambs were £70 plus and Texel lambs from PJ & PB Wade, Hythe fetched up to £82.50 per head. The general run of stores was £57 – £65 per head with only the smaller long-term lambs below £55.
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A flock dispersal for Messrs WA Groombridge & Son, Canterbury saw one lamb, a North Country Mule, go for £112, and several good lambers made £93-£111. The best of the flock, Charollais Rams, sold at £380 whilst others sold for between £200-£330 each.