RENOWNED North Yorkshire Charollais sheep breeder Charles Marwood is staging a ‘Celebration Sale’ of 70 females from the family’s high performance Foulrice flock in Whenby, near York, to mark his 70th birthday.

It takes place tomorrow at Skipton mart, where Mr Marwood has been a familiar face over many years, winning multiple breed championships and achieving many high price sales.

The family has bred Charollais sheep since 1982. Mr Marwood was first attracted by its carcase, which he still believes to be the essence of the breed, something he strives to maintain and improve to the present day,

Over 36 years, the heart of the business has become commercial ram sales and the Foulrice flock’s goal is to breed consistency, providing breeding rams that will breed well and offer large batches of rams for sale every year.

An undoubted milestone this year was the flock’s “Decade of Progress” Award for genetic improvement in the Charollais breed. Foulrice gimmers have some of the best maternal EBVs in the breed and the award confirmed this was an opportune time for a celebration sale.

Mr Marwood’s wife, Valerie, proposed he sell 70 ewes to commemorate his 70th birthday this year. Despite having entered a handful of females every year at the annual Skipton sale since it started, this is the greatest number of ewes they have offered for sale at the fixture, though Mr Marwood is keen to point out he is not anticipating retiring any time soon!

The sale is seen as an opportunity for both existing and new breeders to purchase Foulrice ewes, which will not only produce some good pedigree rams, but also, in line with their purpose, will consistently produce sound commercial rams.

Shearling ewes are in lamb to either Dalby Sherman or Sheldon Supreme. The former, a 5,100gns purchase at Worcester Premier 2017, is a ram correct in every way. There is show potential in his ewe lambs forward in the sale and he has also produced some of the top recorded lambs in the breed.

Sheldon Supreme, also purchased last year at Builth, is a grandson of Foulrice Osprey combined with Eastbach Laser genetics. He has equally impressive credentials and while having only March-born lambs on the ground at the moment, they are said to be exhibiting all his excellent attributes.

The sale starts at 11am. Details for all lots, including performance recorded information, where the EBV index also highlights superior breeding stock for a specific breeding objective, can be found in the sales catalogue. Links are at both protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/T9q3CXLGGFGyEOnI6Lsk6 and protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/XaJ8CYWJJTgJVA3cG84Sr.

The Foulrice flock runs approximately 500 pedigree Charollais ewes, with a small herd of Dexter cattle for forage utilisation purposes, clearing up pasture for sheep.