The biggest one-day ram sales in the UK is now just days away.
Sheep farmers throughout Britain, including every part of Scotland, are getting ready to descend on the town of Kelso in the Scottish Borders.
It all happens on Friday and the Border Union Agricultural Society, which organises the huge annual event, is busy making its final preparations.
Executive director Dan Withall told The Press and Journal he loved the “whole bit of theatre’ surrounding Kelso Ram Sales.
UK’s largest single-day sale of tups
He explained: “This is the biggest single-day sale of tups anywhere in the UK.
“Wells (Builth Wells in Wales) sells more but we have more four-legged animals in one day.”
This year, Kelso Ram Sales will see a total number of 3,772 of the UK’s finest tups, across 16 breeds, going up for sale.
The total is down a few hundred on the record 4,281 rams that were at the 2023 event.
But all 15 sales rings will still attract plenty of interest among the many thousands 0f people expected to attend the event at the society’s showground, Springwood Park.
The roster of rams lined up for starring roles includes 421 Bluefaced Leicesters, more than 950 Suffolks and in excess of 1,100 Texels.
The huge sale will also introduce some rarer breeds, such as the Hampshire and Oxford Downs, Vendeen and Dorper.
Bell ringing honour for 2024 Kelso Ram Sales falls to Fife breeder Liz Lang
It all starts at 10am, with the traditional ringing of the Kelso Ram Sales bell.
This year it will be rung by Fife breeder, Liz Lang of the Fingask herd from Dairsie, near Cupar.
Daughter of the late Willie McGowan, a regular with his Suffolks at Kelso, Liz
continues the rich heritage he began and was recently presented with a lifetime achievement award at Yorkshire Show.
Kelso Ram Sales date back to 1838 and have now grown into a multi-breed sale that is internationally renowned.
It is also commercially significant to the Scottish Borders, providing significant economic impact to the region.
Border Union Agricultural Society has estimated a £1.7 million economic boost to the area from the extra business generated.
Kelso area hotel rooms scarce
Dan told The P&J rooms in local hotels around the time of the event were scarce.
He added: “We’ve people coming here from as far as Orkney, Devon, Northern Ireland and internationally. The event does have a very wide appeal.”
Kelso Ram Sales has a reputation of welcoming in the wider community; encouraging people outside the industry to find out more about commercial livestock and farming in general.
‘It’s a bellwether for the market’
Border Union ram sales committee chairman David Neill said: “The importance of the sale for the industry and the Scottish Borders cannot be underestimated.
“It’s a bellwether for the market and continues to deliver the best of stock, keeping its reputation as the premier sale of rams in the country.”
“Entries, whilst a little back on last year, are of the best quality and from renowned and
reliable breeders.”
The society’s chairman added: “Kelso Ram Sales are an important day for the industry and the Scottish Borders.
“I look forward to a confident sale, with a high average.”
Explaining why he thought ram numbers were down this year, Dan said: “A lot of good stock went to the market in spring.
“Prices were good, while feed costs were high.
“A lot of people were thinking ‘do we want to take these boys through the summer’ and then deciding ‘we’re going to go for it now, rather take a punt on another six months.
“We lost quite a few (sheep) to the food chain.”
A “dwindling” national flock size is also a factor in the lower number this year, he said.
A changing market
Lamenting on the current “shape of stock and how it has changed over the years”, he said imports of lamb and other pressures on UK farming, including the cost-of-living crisis, were taking their toll.
There is a trend of younger generations not buying roasts any more, he said, adding:” I guess we have to move on but it does all impact on things.
“We just have to make sure we don’t sleepwalk into the next five years.”
But the popularity of Kelso Ram Sales, home to many new sheep price records over the years, is certainly not on the wane.
Dan said the society had to close the book on trade stand allocations which were up 15-20% on last year.
Trade bookings rose by a similar level last year.
There will be “significant” activity and plenty of top quality rams in the sales rings again this time too, the society’s executive director said.
We’re not looking for tens of thousands of tups to sell for just a couple of hundred pounds.” Dan Withall, Border Union Agricultural Society
He added: “That’s always good to get and definitely the way we want it to remain.
“We’re not looking for tens of thousands of tups to sell for just a couple of hundred pounds.”
A new centre record was set at Kelso Ram Sales in 2021, when a Texel shearling sold at £65,000, surpassing the event’s previous high of £35,000.
There was a new record average in 2021, while strong prices again last year topped at £24,000 for a ram lamb and £36,000 for a shearling.
Texels topped the trade across all breeds – reaching £36,000 early in the day, with a further nine shearling rams hitting the five-figure mark.
A full ballot listing for next week’s event, which is expected to attract up to 7,000 farmers and onlookers, can be found on the society’s website at borderunion.co.uk
Weather will play a major part in the final headcount, Dan said.
He added: “If it’s very dreich, we’ll lose a few – especially among those just coming here for the social part.”
Very busy time behind the scenes
With so many thousands of people and sheep heading for Kelso, there is clearly a mammoth effort behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.
Dan admitted it was an exceptionally busy time for the team at Border Union Agricultural Society.
But it is all worth it in terms of protecting the valuable “IP” (intellectual property) of the ever-popular event, he said.
It all started nearly 190 years ago
Kelso Ram Sales is always held on the second Friday of September.
Its is one of the oldest and largest sheep auctions in Europe.
The event has been attracting buyers and sellers from all over the UK since 1838.
Its first edition, with tups selling for just a few pounds, is thought to have been the world’s first public sale of rams.
Kelso Ram Sales took off in new age of the train
According to Farming Scotland, the coming of the railways in the 19th Century lifted the ram sales to an “event of national significance”.
The number of breeds represented at the sales has grown over the years.
Some of the continental types common today would have had seemed very exotic in years gone by.
Breeds once considered ‘exotic’ are now common
“Nobody thinks twice about them now,” Border Union Agricultural Society executive director Dan Withall told the Press and Journal.
Summing up Kelso Ram Sales, the South of Scotland Destination Alliance website says: “They remain the heartbeat of the sheep industry in the Scottish Borders.
“More than just an auction, the event hosts a broad range of trade exhibitors and cultural elements including the Tweedale stick makers demonstrating the art of crook making.”
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