51AVÊÓÆµ

Black and white images show livestock marts in all their former glory

The marts are still as important as ever to the rural community. And these classic images show they always have been.

clock • 1 min read
Black and white images show livestock marts in all their former glory

Although times have moved on and technology has taken over many parts of the farming sector, livestock auction marts are still vitally important to the farming community.

Gone are the days when farmers donned a full suit to go and sell their stock, but the marts still give farmers the chance to meet up with others and, in terms of business, they are a great shop window.Ìý

But community has always been at the heart of farming, and always will be. Take a trip down memory lane with some black and white classics from the Farmers Guardian archive.

null
Jerseys, 1959
null
Champion Swaledale ram, 1962, shown by Stanley Harker at Kirby Stephen

See also: 88-year-old farmer shares passion for farming in heartwarming video: 'Keep flying the flag'

null
Machinery tractor sale, 1989
null
Welshpool sheep sale, 1982
null
Melton Mowbray, 1988
null
Classic pig show, 1939
null

More on 51AVÊÓÆµLife

Calls for gun law rethink following farmer's death

Calls for gun law rethink following farmer's death

'Gaps' in legislation could lead to more people taking their own lives, warns coroner

Nick Irving
clock 19 February 2026 • 2 min read
Direct selling boosts growth for Cambridgeshire mixed livestock farm

Direct selling boosts growth for Cambridgeshire mixed livestock farm

Bramblebee Farms has developed its wide range of livestock enterprises in response to customer demand

Wendy Short
clock 19 February 2026 • 7 min read
2001 UK foot-and-mouth outbreak - 25 years on: "Infectious diseases do not respect borders or species barriers, and we ignore this at our peril"

2001 UK foot-and-mouth outbreak - 25 years on: "Infectious diseases do not respect borders or species barriers, and we ignore this at our peril"

Before his career in politics, Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson was a veterinary inspector who was on the frontline of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001. Dr Hudson remembers the once bustling farms which became empty, the impact it had on the sector's mental health, and why the current Government should never take the UK's national biosecurity for granted

Dr Neil Hudson
clock 18 February 2026 • 3 min read