THERE was a chill wind in the air yesterday but the sun was shining in the Borders at the media preview for for Scotsheep, the biennial event staged by the Scottish branch of the National Sheep Association.
The event this year will take place on Wednesday 4 June at Northhouse Farm, seven miles south of Hawick.
This 1,600 acre farm is run by the Hepburn family, with 1,850 ewes and 130 suckler cows in rolling country that rises to 1,600ft above sea
level.
John Hepburn, who is a tenant of Buccleuch Estates, said the spring of 2008 had been just about the most difficult he had experienced in 21 years. The costs of running the farm have soared, with compound feeds for sheep now edging over £200 per tonne.
But he is confident that better times lie ahead.
Prices for all classes of sheep crashed last year largely as a result of movement restrictions relating to the twin curses of bluetonge and foot-and-mouth disease.
Jack Clark, chairman of the organising committee for Scotsheep and the managing director of John Swan, one of the leading auctioneering businesses in Scotland and the North of England, pulled out his notebook to deliver an update on current prices.
He said: "Of course we all remember the dark days of last August, September and October, but we have now moved on from that abyss. The sheep market has made a welcome recovery, with prime hoggets realising £70-£80 per head while the market for new season lambs is getting off to a good start."
During this week 12 months ago hoggets – old season lambs – were averaging just 87p per kg on a liveweight basis. As of Monday the same grade of sheep were selling for 150p.
The value of new season lams has also soared: in early May last year they were worth barely 120p per kg, but current values are only a fraction short of 200p per kg.
The relative weakness of sterling against the euro has been a factor in pushing prices higher for the export market. That was a point taken up by John Taylor, the head of agriculture with the Bank of Scotland, the principal sponsor of Scotsheep.
He said: "This is a double benefit for the sheep sector in that exports are much more attractive, but it also presents farmers right across the board the chance to receive a higher single farm payment (SFP] later this year."
Farmers can opt to have their SFP cheques made out in euros and this must look increasingly attractive, given the weakness of sterling.
