Harrison & Hetherington have announced rescheduled ram sales after Covid-19 cancelled one of the biggest event in the sheep farming calendar.
With Kelso Ram Sales cancelled, attendees from the across the UK and Ireland are looking to sell and buy in a different format to one they are used to.
Harrison & Hetherington (H&H) have released details of their rescheduled dates to meet farmers' needs, despite the pandemic.
With H&H’s numbers up at just over 2,000 entries, the sales are scheduled to take place at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, St Boswell’s and Lockerbie Marts in the Scottish Borders and Wooler in North Northumberland.
Scott Donaldson, Joint Managing Director of H&H, said it was a 'real shame' that the Kelso Ram Sales had been cancelled.
"It has always been a focal point for the industry, and farmers really do save the best of the best for Kelso," he said.
"Given the circumstances, H&H have worked hard to divide the sales, as it is our responsibility to schedule events so that producers can present their lambs to a large audience through our auction system and maintain social distancing.
"We have entries from across the British Isles and we still anticipate people coming from all over.”
Only two people will be allowed to prepare and sell the tups, and only one buyer from each business will be allowed into the ring. Non-buying visitors will not be allowed to enter at all.
Mr Donaldson added: "We’ve worked to provide the best solution we can, and we at H&H are looking at over 2000 rams which is even more than last year.
"It is imperative that people adhere to the strict guidelines we’ve put in place to make sure these sales can take place.
"We really don’t want to turn anybody away or deal with an outbreak, so we hope that the farming community will act respectfully and responsibly.”
When are the sales?
• Saturday 5 September - St Boswell’s Mart, Newtown St Boswells
• Thursday 10 September – Borderway Mart, Carlisle
• Friday 11 September - Lockerbie Mart
• Saturday 12 September – Borderway Mart, Carlisle
• Tuesday 15 September - Wooler Mart, Northumberland
