THREE respected Tynedale farming families are selling off their cattle herds at Hexham Mart on Friday.

The highly-regarded suckler cow herds from the local farming families will be sold at the monthly sale of beef breeding cattle, alongside the special anniversary prize show and sale of store cattle.

The families are R. D. Archer & Son from Wark, R. J. Coulson & Son from Langley-on-Tyne and W. J. Kennedy & Son from Blanchland.

Chris Armstrong, auctioneer at Hexham Mart, said the families had been contemplating the sale for some time and that labour issues and expenses were the main factors in the sales.

“Cattle are expensive every way you look at them,” he said. “You are looking at anywhere from £15,000 per year just to maintain with machinery and contractors.”

Whilst Martyn Archer is selling his herd of 35 suckler cows, Paul Coulson is selling his herd of 20 Angus and Hereford cross cows to focus on his Lanark Blackface sheep. Chris doesn’t expect any difficulty in selling the three herds.

“It’s usually an easy process to sell, and these three sales have attracted a lot of inquiries, from Aberdeenshire to Wales.

“But we also want to ensure the customer base comes from local farmers who know the specific cattle well.”

The herd of 20 first cross sucklers for sale by W. J. Kennedy & Son are currently based at Birkside farm in Blanchland, 1,200ft above sea level.

At such an altitude. and with hardiness their most essential trait, potential purchasers should be confident that cows from the Birkside herd will thrive on most types of farm.

Chris Armstrong added: “It’s a double-edged sword.

“We are losing three loyal customers who have contributed a lot over the years, and are well-known amongst the farming community.

“But we are also delighted they have chosen Hexham to sell the cows.”