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THE power of the hammer was clearly evident at Taunton Livestock Centre where the first weekly sale of dairy cattle since the second foot and mouth scare got under way in front of a massive gathering of prospective buyers.

Sixty-nine commercial dairy cows and heifers sold to £2,000 and averaged £1,365, a market record individual price and a record average for this weekly commercial section achieved in one week. Greenslade Taylor Hunt specialist dairy auctioneer Derek Biss said afterwards: "Having been forced into private treaty selling whilst the movement restrictions were in place the prices achieved although looking good at the time fell well short of the tremendous prices achieved."

There were four heifers over £1,900 and six more over £1,700. The top price pedigree heifer consigned by Mike Dyer of Chard achieved £2,000 closely followed by a non-pedigree calved heifer at £1,980 one of a consignment of eight from local trader John Snook from Yeovil whose eight cows and heifers averaged £1,549. Tom Wilkins and family consigned 10 British Friesian calved heifers selling to £1,620 and averaging £1,484.

Third calvers from Mike Churchill at Chard sold to £1,750. Ten cows consigned by N R Huxter averaged £1,193.

The dairy auctioneers from around the country were ringing up wanting to confirm these high prices achieved and the feedback was that demand for dairy stock in the South West was far outstripping that of areas in the north and east of the country.

TB is really hitting hard in the South West counties to the extent that herds of cows are now migrating to the West Country.

The present regulations preventing on-farm sales is that vendors are now looking to using the livestock centre with all its facilities to market there dairy cattle. Anyone wishing to disperse a herd of cows and wanting to use Taunton Livestock Centre should contact the auctioneers Greenslade Taylor Hunt.

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