A Cautionary Tale

18th September 2007 - T. Wyn Jones

One of the “stealth taxes” legacies left by our previous Chancellor Mr Gordon Brown prior to moving to higher office is the forthcoming change to the system of Empty Property Rate Relief in England and Wales. Read more...

Foot & Mouth Latest at 11:45am

15th September 2007

No Ludlow Market this coming Monday (17th Sept) but RED MARKETS commencing on Wednesday 19th Sept at Worcester. Read more...

Foot and Mouth Latest as at 4.45pm

14th September 2007

As yet no licences granted in England for movement of stock direct from farm to abattoir.
Smart money is on Saturday 15th September, as being the date such licences will start from.

If all goes well in the next 48 hours, red markets / collection centres should be on the agenda even next week. Obviously Monday is out now.

Regionalisation being looked at as a possibility to enable store stock to be marketed from hill areas as soon as possible.
Please look at our website for all further details.

Please contact us on 01584 872251 for any direct marketing to abattoir that you need doing.

Foot and Mouth Latest as at 4.00pm

12th September 2007

Due to new Foot and Mouth outbreak, a movement ban of all livestock has been implemented.

Please continue to check this website for up to date information or contact your local McCartneys Livestock Market. Read more...

Private Sale

31st August 2007

In Calf Suckler Heifers
Radnorshire Border Read more...

Foot and Mouth Latest as at 3.00pm

22nd August 2007

LUDLOW MARKET REPORT
WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY 20th AUGUST 2007

FOOT AND MOUTH SITUATION


Back to “normal” for next Monday 27th August– red market operational.

We have received permission to operate a red market from next Monday 27th August. As with all of the red markets that we have operated for the last several years, any animals coming to the market can only go for slaughter. Obviously with the current Foot and Mouth situation as it is, there are additional regulations that we believe are not particularly onerous. They are no different to what most of you do at Ludlow each week. If all goes well we should be able to operate in a full and proper manner from 8th September. Store sales and so on, no change.

Do’s and Don’ts on 27th August

We are having to pay for a vet to inspect all animals off wagons. It is vital therefore that you keep to the following times. We can receive stock between 6.45 a.m. and 11.45 a.m. Please do not arrive before or after these times. We have always tried to accommodate clients, but in these circumstances we cannot afford to pay a vet to be at the market all day on the off chance some sheep or cattle will come in later on.

DO’S
1. Please make sure you come in a clean vehicle. Please disinfect the wheels before it leaves your farm. Please come in clean clothes.
2. Bring a red form properly completed. Make sure you have a sheep licence if you are bringing sheep. Bring passports as normal.
3. Before leaving Ludlow Market, you MUST wash out. You can park your vehicle in the dirty car park indicated at the bottom of the market if there is a queue on the lorry wash.
4. Please observe all of the signs in the market. You will not be able to enter the livestock area so-called, i.e. the pens and the alleyways, but you will be able to see your cattle sold.
5. Once you have unloaded your stock and parked your vehicle, please clean your boots and clean your leggings before you enter the main office building and the fat cattle ring.
6. Before you leave the market, wash your hands and make sure that the wheels on your vehicle have been sprayed as you leave the premises.
7. Observe the one-way system at all times.
8. Please let the vet look at your animals as they enter the market.

DON’TS
1. Don’t go into the livestock and penning areas.
2. Don’t go into the office block and canteen or the sale room with dirty clothes or boots.
3. Don’t bring sheep to the market with orf. Don’t, for the next 2 weeks, bring anything that is a bit “iffy”. Don’t bring lame sheep. Don’t bring old cows that if you blow on them, they are going to fall over. Use your sense. Such animals can stay on the farm for the next 2 weeks until people are far more relaxed about the Foot and Mouth situation. There will be no collection of burner cows on Monday as it is a Bank Holiday but there will be one the week later, 3rd September.

If the above is carried out for the next 2 weeks, we should be able to operate in a normal way after that. Your co-operation is paramount. If you will pardon the expression, it will only take one fool to do something stupid or to deliberately ignore the regulations to jeopardise our licence. If anybody acts in such a way as to deliberately jeopardise the licence under which we can operate the market, we will have no hesitation in taking action against them if, as a result of their stupidity, we cannot run the business or are closed down.


TRADING POSITION

We will have a good contingent of buyers on Monday, for all the classes of stock we normally sell. We have always run a slaughter market and cannot see that it will be a problem for you, but in order to really help us organise the situation for next week, please phone us if you’re going to bring animals. Telephone:
01584 872251 (office)
01584 841258 (John Uffold at home)
07890 898239 (Michael Thomas mobile)
01568 750402 (Michael Thomas home)
07971 054499 (Neil Harris mobile)
We must be very careful to make sure we balance supply and demand. We must be careful with the Bank Holiday market to keep everything in order.


STORE SALES

Next store sale Friday 14th September. Show and sale of ewes and lambs and store sheep, together with annual sale of Clun Forest rams and ewes. Also store cattle, calves and weanlings. To be sure of licence arrangements, catalogue entries close Monday 10th September at 5.00 p.m. – do not use this as an excuse to book your animals in as late as possible. By extending the entry period, we hope to be absolutely clear about any Ministry licence requirements if they alter upon 8th September. We are expecting plenty of buyers for all of the stock, and we look forward to getting back to a normal store trade.

FARM SALES

Upon instruction from Mrs IM Uffold & Sons
19th Home Sale of 96 Pedigree Texel sheep
at The Firs, Broncroft, Craven Arms, Shropshire
on Friday 7th September at 8pm.
Viz: 34 Shearling rams, 27 Ram lambs, 20 Ewe lambs, 15 yearling ewes
Well bred and well grown
Note: All sheep will have been in isolation on the premises prior to sale and will be veterinary inspected before sale. If necessary, sheep may be left without charge until licensing is agreed. Delivery of sheep undertaken at no charge.
Full catalogues and details from:
McCartneys, The Livestock Market,
The Ox Pasture, Overton Road, Ludlow SY8 4AA.
Telephone 01584 872251 Ref JU

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For any further information upon any of the above please telephone:

JOHN UFFOLD (01584) 872251 WORK OR (01584) 841258 HOME
MICHAEL THOMAS (01568)750402 OR (01584) 872251

Please make use of our free Field Officer service and contact
NEIL HARRIS on (01584) 891165 / 07971 054499

McCARTNEYS – ALL THE HELP YOU NEED

McCartneys Livestock Markets Open Again for Business

20th August 2007

WEEKLY FATSTOCK MARKETS
Operating as red markets or collection centres – contact your local market for details

Thursday 23rd August - Kington & Knighton
Monday 27th August - Ludlow
Tuesday 28th August -Brecon
Wednesday 29th August - Worcester
Thursday 30th August - Kington & Knighton
STORE SALES
Subject to Ministry regulations:
Friday 14th September - Ludlow
Sale of store cattle and store sheep,
including annual sale of Clun Forest Sheep both ewes and rams and main ewe sale.
Entries close Monday 10th September at 5.00pm.
Saturday 15th September - Worcester Market Hop and Cheese Fair
Store lambs, breeding ewes and rams.

RE: Foot and Mouth Situation.

20th August 2007

Dear Client,

Since I last wrote to you, the foot and mouth outbreak thankfully hasn’t got any worse. The result of this improvement is that we can now open up our livestock markets again. We are disappointed with the current situation but feel we must provide a service to our clients. As at today’s date, we can operate collection centres from Thursday 23rd August. The position concerning red markets is being discussed. The following will therefore apply to fatstock “sales” until further notice. From 23rd August we will be operating collection centres at all of our markets. The collection centre day will be the same day as the normal market takes place and will cover all of the stock normally sold by that centre. On Thursday 23rd August there will therefore be Kington and Knighton, on 27th August Ludlow, 28th August Brecon, 29th Worcester, 30th Kington and Knighton and so on.

It is hoped that we will be able to operate red markets soon and there is pressure on the Ministry to allow us to operate red markets – in our opinion no different from collection centres from a disease control point of view – from the same time we can operate a collection centre. We hope we shall have news on this in the next few days.

As regards store cattle sales and store sheep sales, if the disease position continues as it is then we should be able to have these sales from 8th September onwards. If you look at your calendar, the same dates for sales will apply. 14th September will be Ludlow, 15th Worcester and so on. These are obviously collective sales. The licensing procedure and so on will depend upon the disease situation in the country and if there are any more outbreaks. From the 8th September we should be able to start to trade. As regards on farm sales where there is not a collection then we will be having the sale as indicated in our advertisements.

For any further information on a daily basis please contact your local McCartney market or look at our website on www.mccartneys.co.uk.

To summarise, the weekly sales will be to start with collection centres and hopefully red markets. Sale days will be exactly the same as previous. We hope to start collective store sales from 8th September.

On farm sales where there is no gathering of livestock from different premises will continue as advertised. We thank you for your co-operation. We very much hope that export of lambs will soon start up again, this will formally be considered on 23rd August. The current restriction terminates on 24th August. Hopefully we will be able to put the two together and open up with effective outlets for the lambs in particular at the same time as we start to sell them again.

Yours sincerely
John Uffold
Chairman McCartneys LLP

Foot and Mouth Latest as at 5.00pm on 15/08/07

15th August 2007

Movement restrictions being eased.
McCartneys partners will inform clients on Thursday of marketing arrangements for next week and thereafter. Read more...

Cecil Retires from Ludlow Market

13th August 2007

Cecil (Mr Pitt) has retired from McCartneys LLP after 35 years service. He worked for many years in the accounts department and more recently added Bio Security Officer and Animal Welfare Officer to his range of duties. Cecil was well respected by colleagues, farmers and purchasers alike, always handling situations with tact and diplomacy and reaching conclusions satisfactory to all parties. Those who worked with him at the Ox Pasture will particularly miss his famous jokes! John Uffold, Chairman of McCartneys (right), is shown presenting Cecil (left) with a carriage clock from the partners in appreciation of his long service. All at McCartneys wish him a long and happy retirement. Read more...