County's finest draw top prices (From Western Telegraph)

County's finest draw top prices

Bidding reached 2,800 guineas when one of Pembrokeshire's finest pedigree herds came under the auctioneer's hammer last week.

Carmarthen Livestock Mart was full for the sale of Philip and Bella Prickett's herd. The couple, who farm at Clover Hill Farm, Solva, have decided to give up milk production because of the paperwork involved with dairy farming.

An enthusiastic crowd, which included four major buyers from England, who bought 29 animals between them, saw many of their cows and heifers topping the 1,000 guinea mark.

Twenty-one members of the noted Primrose family drew some of the top prices of the day. Solfach H. Storm Primrose sold for 2,800 guineas.

The top priced heifer was also a Primrose - Solfach Cousteau Primrose 2, sold for 1,500 guineas.

Young stock were in strong demand with the calves at foot averaging £458 and the 21 maidens, £448. Top price in this section was 850 guineas for a Primrose.

In-calf heifers averaged over £800 with the main buyers, P. G. Beswick and Sons, travelling from Staffordshire for the sale.

The sale, jointly run by auctioneers Norton and Brooksbank and west Wales-based Bob Jones-Prytherch and Co, averaged £882 from 135 lots including 14 'A' lots.