Hi, I would like to welcome the members old and new for 2021, this is my first report as we didn’t have a yearbook last year due to the covid situation. It has been a difficult 12 months with lockdown happening, but I am glad to say as I write this the rates have dropped and everything is finally opening up. But with everything happening it has come too late for many shows and sad to say there will not be many running this year, but with a few that are looking like they are going to run. I would like to thank anyone who is going to a show with the breed and supporting the shows and also promoting the breed. But with that happening it looks like the sales are going to run as normal there might be restrictions in the market but at least we have got somewhere to take the sheep and sell them.

On top of all that happening, we also had the Brexit deal to contend with, and I’m glad to say a deal was done. Its been a very tricky time for farmers since March last year with lockdown and everybody wondering how the prices were going to be also with the Brexit deal I am glad to say what a record price the sheep industry has had, with record prices for hoggs and spring lambs very high then also cull ewes selling well.

I would also like to thank all the members last year who supported the sales, it was a challenge with month by month rule changing. I was wondering how sales were going to run and with the Society trying an online sale which was successful we were finally allowed to have some of our Sales running as normal and I’m glad to say we had some very good prices for males and females and also had a lot of new commercial farmers buying the breed and new members also purchasing. Things are looking very promising for the breed with new members joining up every month.
I would also like to take this time to thank the Council and Sue for their work over the last year, as people might guess with everything going on we as a council were looking every month trying to predict what might happen.

I would also like to take this time and ask you the members for help, we are desperate for commercial articles and sale reports so if anyone has an article or sale report please send it to Sue. Anyway that’s enough of me now I wish everyone a good year in the Sales and Shows and lets push the breed out even more.

Many thanks, Carl