Two Dorset cross lambs from the south of England made history over the weekend by becoming the first animals to be traded through the UK’s brand new – and only – online auction system www.sellmylivestock.co.uk.

The lambs made the 75-mile journey from Shaftesbury to Chichester after smallholder Viv Gleave sealed the deal online with Sussex farmer Andrew Huxham, who bought them for his father-in-law.

Andrew says: “With time and cost top of mind at the moment, we wanted to check out how the system worked. We were impressed with the level of detail submitted about the animals so when we went to look at them, they were exactly what we expected.”

He says buying online didn’t eliminate the need to look at the animals before buying, so it wasn’t an immediate process. “But it gave us a more complete view of what stock is available for buying at the moment without having to travel to a livestock market,” he explains.

“I can also see why some sellers would want to go down this route – less cost, less stress and less time spent moving the animals around.”

Hampshire beef producer Dan Luff, who came up with the idea two years ago while struggling to get full market value for his animals, explains: “Users will be familiar with much of the way Sell My Livestock operates – for example, the sale remains between the buyer and seller to keep commission rates low. We also know people want to buy from and sell to those they can trust, so we’ve adopted the ‘star’ rating system to reward accuracy of description and ease of transaction.”

Launched a week ago, Sell My Livestock already has 425 farmers registered, 1,230 cattle registered on the system and 254 animals now available for sale.