It’s a Louth record-breaker! Partney Fair Special Sheep Show & Sale 2025

Thu 14 Aug 2025

 “Store lambs were up £20 on the year ensuring a record breeding sheep trade” says Ed Middleton, Louth Livestock Market’s auctioneer talking about this year’s first MV & Non-MV Accredited Breeding Sheep & Store Lambs on 1^st August.

Partney Fair Special Show & Sale is Louth Livestock Market's largest Annual Sheep Show attracting entries from all over Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties, regularly smashing records for top prices and 2025 was no exception!

This year’s show and sale was kindly sponsored by Phillips Animal Health, Horncastle and judged by David Fenwick, Gainsborough. David had a seriously tough job on his hands with high quality of entries across all eight classes. In the end the winners were:  

Award / Class	Placings
Champion Breeding Ram	1st – P Weaver, Newark · Reserve – J Birkwood, North Thoresby
Champion Breeding Female	1st – Woolhall Investments, Spalding · Reserve – Woolhall Investments, Spalding
Champion Pen of Store Lambs	1st – Middleton Bros, Ashby by Partney · Reserve – R L Hartley, Louth
Class 1 – MV Accredited Shearling Ram or Older	1st – P Weaver, Newark · 2nd – J Birkwood, North Thoresby · 3rd – R J Bett, Yarburgh
Class 3 – Non-MV Accredited Shearling or Older	1st – C S Noble, North Somercotes · 2nd – D J Summers & Son, Gainsborough · 3rd – E Scaman, Saleby
Class 4 – Non-MV Accredited Ram Lamb	1st – E Scaman, Saleby · 2nd – E Scaman, Saleby
Class 5 – Breeding Shearlings (Suffolk X / Halfbred)	1st – Woolhall Investments, Spalding · 2nd – T E Dixon, Cabourne · 3rd – Woolhall Investments, Spalding
Class 5 – Breeding Shearlings (Continental X)	1st – Woolhall Investments, Spalding · 2nd – J Davenport, Market Rasen · 3rd – T B French, Holbeach
Class 5 – Breeding Shearlings (Mule)	1st – G & H Rogerson, Dunston · 2nd – G & H Rogerson, Dunston · 3rd – Sir Richard Sutton Ltd, Stainton le Vale
Class 6 – Best Pen of Breeding Ewes	1st – R Wood, Friskney
Class 7 – Best Pen of 8+ Store Lambs	1st – Middleton Bros, Ashby by Partney · 2nd – Middleton Bros, Ashby by Partney · 3rd – Middleton Bros, Ashby by Partney
Class 8 – Best Pen of 4+ Ewe Lambs	1st – R L Hartley, Louth · 2nd – R L Hartley, Louth · 3rd – R Ogg, Coleby

Despite harvest there was still a fantastic turnout from the local sheep community along with our regular market supporters Agriscope, Indespension and Nunns Isuzu Grimsby in attendance and the professionals who have offices at the market, Forrester Boyd and Wilkin Chapman Rollits, who came to chat with farmers. Huge thanks to Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) for free health and wellbeing checks, to Molly and her Norfolk Farm Vets Ltd team and the Masons Rural team along with the brilliant market staff ensuring everything ran smoothly. 

Andrew and the lovely Lakings team had their delicious barbecue out for the first time this year, with their regular Little Food Box serving hot and cold drinks and snacks to a busy crowd. We were also delighted to welcome The Tipsy Nag, a converted horsebox serving the full range of Hawkstone which added to the ambience and went down well with farmers. Both will be joining us again in September.

The day’s trading kicked off with the breeding rams’ champion, a Texel shearling from P Weaver, Newark which sold for £1,050.00gns to C Goulsbra, Louth, others from the same pen sold for £945.00gns twice and £850.00gns.

Emma Benge, Horsington sold Texel shearlings to £950.00gns and Blue Texel shearlings to £550.00gns. D J Summers & Son, Gainsborough sold Texel shearlings to £980.00gns and Rouge shearlings to £870.00gns. C S Noble, Louth topped at £1,020.00gns for Texel X Beltex shearlings and Emily Scaman sold Charollais ram lambs to £750.00gns.

Aged ewes sold to £208.00 for R Wood, Friskney.

Breeding gimmers were the trade of the day with top call of the day from Tom French, Spalding at £350.00 for a pen of Texel gimmers. Champion pen of gimmers came from Woolhall Investments Ltd, Spalding, Suffolk x mule which sold for £290.00 with other pens from the same home at £300.00 x3 for Suffolk Halfbreds, £295.00 for Suffolk x and £295.00 and £280.00 for Texel X. G & H Rogerson, Dunston sold mule shealings to £245.00 twice.

T Dixon, Caistor topped at £305.00 for Suffolk Halfbreds with other pens trading at £300.00 and £290.00. Sir Richard Sutton Ltd, Market Rasen sold mule shearlings to £200.00 while P E Roe & Son Ltd, Boston topped at £275.00 for Texel X. E Hopper, Wragby sold Suffolk Halfbreds to £290.00 three times. Ewe lambs sold to a top of £196.00 for R L Hartley, Louth.

Just shy of 1000 store lambs forward. All in averaging £122.48, up over £20 on the year. Top price pen in the stores came from J W English, Ashby by Partney at £166.00. Hungerton Farms, Grantham topped at £125.00 for Texel X. Petwood Farming Co, Woodhall Spa sold to £121.00 while Shaw Bros, Binbrook to £150.00 and£141.00. T R Baxter, Alford to £150.00 for Texel X. Champion pen of store lambs came from Middleton Bros, Ashby by Partney and sold to £136.00 and £135.00 while A B Johnson, Stickney sold to £147.00.

Now we’re looking forward to doing it all again (including Lakings and The Tipsy Nag) on 12^th September at our 2nd Special Sale of MV & Non-MV Accredited Breeding Sheep, Store Lambs, including the Sale of Livestock Equipment.

Entries are now open with entry forms on the Louth Livestock Market page. If you’re interested in trading at Louth Livestock Market, then please get in touch by emailling [email protected] or just come along. New buyers and sellers are warmly welcomed week in week out, not just at our special sales. You can find all the forms on our Louth Livestock Market page including haulier details or please call our market team for a chat about marketing your livestock at any time. 

Auctioneer - Edward Middleton - 07395 570303

Fieldsperson - Eleanor Hopper - 07852 570380