United Kingdom-Surge in cattle market numbers for 2008.

UNITED KINGDOM.

CATTLE MARKETS.

Figures released from the Livestock Auctioneers association this weekend show that the cattle markets far from being a thing of the past are actually increasing sales numbers.

The trend to go direct to the meat plant with fat pigs is still in vogue, however lambs and cattle are making a comeback in the live auction, while cast ewes are virtually all sold by auction as the farmer is the guaranteed payment.

Last year 6.9 million lambs were sold at auction in cattle markets throughout Great Britain an increase of 27.8%.

There were 1.8 million cull ewes sold by auction an increase of 20%.

Finished cattle showed a slight rise of 1,000 head, to 370,000 head as opposed to 369,000 in 2007.

The executive secretary of the Livestock Auctioneers Association, Chris Dodds, said " These statistics are even better than we had predicted. They clearly tell us that the farmers in Great Britain see the auction mart as a system which is a vital tool to their marketing options, with the live ring their only available forum where, open and transparent and competitive trade can all be brought together in one place".

Going to market has been a tradition in farming communities for the last 150 years in Great Britain and has been in decline for the lat 25 years.