A top price of 3,500 guineas for a Charollais shearling ram was a great start for the first NSA Wales & Border Early Ram Sale of 2025 on Monday 4th August. The sale grossed £118,282.50 with a 70% clearance rate.

The significance of the early sale is such that one buyer travelled from Plymouth, Devon, specifically to buy what turned out to be the highest price Suffolk ram of the day. A second early sale ram sale took place in Hereford on Tuesday 5th August 2025 to help English vendors cope with current bluetongue restrictions.

NSA Wales & Border Ram Sales Chairman Geoff Probert was pleased with the trade on Monday: “There was a good clearance rate and it came in very well in the circumstances,” he says.

“It was a real team effort, with the committee, auctioneers and everyone working together. The venue worked well. Fingers crossed for the same in Hereford.”

It was a great day for the top price breeder, Paul Curran, who also took highest price in the cross bred section. His Charollais shearling, Wernfawr Chieftain, was champion in the pre sale show. He also took second prize shearling at this year’s Royal Welsh Show.

Paul Curran and his partner, Ally Davies, breed Charollais, Texel, Suffolk and Beltex cross tups at their home in Wernfawr, Talgarth. They bred 14 pedigree Charollais tups this year, using embryo transfer.

Paul says: “We’re very pleased with the trade for the Charollais here today. Our shearling is a heavily fleshed tup, with a big gigot. We registered him last year. We pick the best rams out in May. He is a yearling born in December 2023.”

Buyers Gwyn and Gail Jones praised him as a good shaped sheep, very correct. They spotted him at the Royal Welsh Show and had kept their eye on him. They also liked his father, Glyn Coch Ace. He will be used as a stock tup on their 70 Springfield ewes, near Chepstow.

The highest price Texel went for 1450 guineas, bred by Gethin Hatcher, Gorsgoch, Llanybydder. The highest price cross bred from Paul Curran went for 2,100 guineas and was a Charollais cross Texel cross Beltex yearling. The highest price Suffolk, from Richard Western’s Tredodridge Flock in the Vale of Glamorgan, went for 1100 guineas. The January born shearling was champion lamb in the Suffolk class at the Royal Welsh Show 2024.

He was purchased by Steve and Rachel Lang, who had travelled from Plymouth. He described the tup as ‘a big strong, super sheep with a good back end’. He added that he knew the breeder and was confident it would be a good stock tup for his Langley flock of pedigree ewes.

NSA Wales and Border Ram Sales Chairman Geoff Probert sold 12 Charollais rams from his Mortimer Flock for an average 907 guineas, with two at over 1,000 guineas. He praised the ‘very solid trade’ and was happy with the results at his first early sale as a vendor.