Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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Lionheart
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Chelford RBST-Supported Show & SaleI siddled on down to Frank Marshall's RBST-supported rare breed show and sale at Chelford in Cheshire two weeks ago to take a peak at what was being offered (swearing blindly that I'd keep both of my hands firmly in their respective pockets and not come away with anything!!).
The sale has been postponed from mid-September due to the respective movement restrictions concerning FMD and Bluetongue and as you'd expect the entries were down and quite a few of the lots didn't turn up. In fact the cattle entries aren't even worth mentioning as they were a scraggy lot and were made up mainly of a large group of Longhorn steers that were obviously destined for almost immediate slaughter having pretty much reached the point of being 'fat'.
Having been to a fair few rare breed shows/sales during the last few years since getting in to the scene I was mortified to see the prices that many of the sheep lots were achieving. Decent rams (Whitefaced Woodland, Greyfaced Dartmoor, Cotswold et al) were fetching between 20 and 50gns and pedigree Shetland ewes were only making between 5 (yes, that's correct....FIVE!!) and 15gns through the ring. This was particularly heartbreaking as the breeder had lost her grazing and had no choice but to sell the majority of her flock in distress. She also had several sought after colours too and it is with sadness that the majority were bought by butchers and dealers who no doubt were going to then pass then in to the meat trade themselves.
Quite frankly, even though it had been mooted by a few people I knew that prices would be no better that the current commercial market my heart sank seeing these important breeds go unwanted and for such paltry amounts.
Things must be pretty bad out there at the moment.
Cris
ps....despite my best intentions I came away with three really good herdwick ewes, a breed I hadn't even considered until going on the day!! 
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gil
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Re: Chelford RBST-Supported Show & Sale | Reeves Rare Breeds wrote: | | ps....despite my best intentions I came away with three really good herdwick ewes, a breed I hadn't even considered until going on the day!! |
Excellent  . Are you going to get them a Herdwick tup ?
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Lionheart
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Yup!
Well, that's the plan anyway.....or at least try and find someone else with a tup for them to go with this season.
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caths
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I can't disagree with Cris's assessment of the sale, but not all was bad news - we have taken the opportunity of low prices to buy stock more quickly than we could have otherwise afforded, and a number of the lower price grey face dartmoor ewes are now happily grazing in our fields with long lives ahead of them
have we taken advantage of low prices - yes - would we have been buying these at higher prices - no - does that make us bad people? I don't think so
whilst I am sure that the vendor would have liked more money for them, he had no choice but to sell due to overstocking, and he was really pleased and relieved that they were bought by us as genuine smallholders - so both parties relatively satisfied in the context of a bleak time
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