Forfar
LIMOUSINS from Nethermyres led the majority of sections at Lawrie and Symington’s prime sale last week, when a 560kg heifer topped at 258p per kg, a 635kg bullock realised 240p, and a 680kg bullock topped the gross trade at £1564. 
Heifers (21) also reached £1464 for a 600kg Limousin from Mill of Inverarity and cashed in to average 234p, while 10 bullocks levelled at 231p. 
Prime hoggs (463) averaged 199.2p (+5p on the week) having sold to 243.2p and 228p for pens of Beltex from Balbrydie as well as £111 for more of the same from Newmill of Inshewan. 
Texels from Nether Logie topped the 129 cast sheep at £105. 

Ballymena
AN entry of 1305 sheep sold at Ballymena Livestock Market topped at 410p per kg for a pen of 23.5kg Dorsets from Adam McIlveen, Kells. 
They also reached £99 for a pen of 18 heavy Texels from D Duggan, Magherafelt, with fat ewes to £96 for Texels. 

Huntly
THERE was a ‘ferocious frenzy of bidding’ at United Auctions’ sale of 1726 prime hoggs, last week, where all classes passed the 200p per kg mark with ease as the sale levelled at 210p per kg. 
They peaked at 250p for 43kg Beltex from Overhill, Rothienorman, with 55kg Beltex from Woodbank, Huntly, topping the gross trade at £110. 
Ewes (400) met a firm enquiry and peaked at £110 for Texels from Waterside as well as for Suffolks from 52 Conval Street. 

Dumfries
TRADE was firm for a mixed offering of 11 prime cattle at C and D Auction Marts, where a Limousin heifer from J and L Craik, Waterside, topped at 228p per kg. 
OTM cattle (102) maintained recent levels for a plainer show. Beef cows (40) levelled at 115.8p having sold to 168p for a Simmental off Hartbush and £1216 for a Limousins from Waterside. 
Averaging 105.1p, the 55 dairy cows sold to 124p and £1066 for a Friesian from Drum, and seven bulls averaged 109p. 
Well-fleshed hoggs were scarce as the company sold 600 to a top of £102 for heavy Texels from Lanarkland. 
Cast sheep (342) topped at £147.50 for Texel ewes from Park. 

Thainstone
ABERDEEN and Northern Marts sold 27 prime cattle, 205 cast cows and bulls and 3123 prime sheep at its Thainstone centre last week.
A 575kg British Blue heifer from Waterside of Forbes, Alford, topped the trade at 252p per kg and also realised £1449, while bullocks sold to 227p for a 575kg Limousin from Glenlogie, Alford, as well as £1560 for an 800kg Simmental from Placemill, Forgue. 
Averages included 21 heifers at 216.1p and six bullocks at 201.1p. 
All types of cast cattle were keenly bid for as the 191 beef cows averaged 147.2p (+4.7p on the week). They peaked at 203p for a Limousin from Mill of Inverarity, Forfar, and £1585 for a Charolais off Sootywells, Fordoun. 
Averaging 92.5p, the six dairy cows reached 104.6p from Fleck, Dunrossness, and £645 from Upper Northfield, Wick, while eight bulls averaged 123.9p (+3.7p) and sold to 130.8p for a Limousin from Tarbothill, Bridge of Don, and £1580 for a Simmental from Upper Meft, Elgin.  
Smart, export-weight hoggs met an excellent trade as 3123 hoggs averaged 208.3p (+6.8p) with the 1958 SQQs at 214.7p (+9.2p). They peaked at 278.6p for 42kg Beltex from Hallhill, Kinneff, and £118 for 77kg Suffolks from Tofthills, Clatt. 

Stirling (Cal)
PRIME cattle upheld recent rates at Caledonian Marts’ sale of 105, where both bullocks and heifers cashed in to average 218p per kg.
They sold to 248p twice for Limousin heifers from Knockhouse, Dunfermline, with bullocks hitting 245p twice for Limousins from both Balquharrage, Lennoxtown, and Learielaw, Broxburn. 
Averaging 205p, young beef bulls hit 232p for a Limousin from Upper Spittalton, Blairdrummond, while dairy bulls averaged 130p and sold to 170p from Easter Clune, Dunfermline. 
The offering of 69 cast cattle saw beef cows average 142p and sell to 192.5p and £1700 for a British Blue from Mains of Throsk, while dairy cows averaged 105p and sold to 121.5p and £880 from Harvieston. 
On Tuesday, the mart sold 1738 prime hoggs and cast sheep, where all classes of lighter hoggs sold 10p to 15p dearer on the week and heavy hoggs were keenly bid for. They reached £120 for a 53kg Beltex from C Smith, South Flanders, as well as 246p for a pen of 42kg Beltex crosses from Ian Campbell, Meikle Seggie. 
With 89 heavy ewes averaging £86.10, they sold to £139 for a Texel from J McKerrow, Riverview, Bo’Ness, while 442 export ewes levelled at £48.41.

Longtown
THERE was an animated trade from start to finish at C and D Auction Marts’ sale of 4129 hoggs which cashed in to average 213p per kg, a rise of 10p on the week, with SQQs at 215.1p. 
Beltex and Texel hoggs regularly made 250p to 280p, peaking at 311p for Beltex from Jimmy Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Crieff. Heavy hoggs made between 210p and 220p, peaking at £127 for Beltex from Messrs Ward, Whitestonehill, Tundergarth. 
Lightweight pens regularly hit 200p and Blackfaces sold between 210p and 220p, with Mules at 200p to 210p. 
All classes of 4725 cast sheep were up £10 on the week and sold to £154 for heavy Texels from Messrs Osbourne, Castlehill, Thornhill, with hill ewes to £75 for Blackies from Messrs Browell, Quarry House. 
Rams topped at £119 for Texels from Messrs Ackerley, Milton Mains, Brampton. 
Some 12 prime cattle reached 250p and £1431.90 for a Limousin heifer form J, J and D Taylor, Englishtown. 
Cast cows (35) sold to 188p and £1428 for a Limousin from Morley Hill. 

Stirling (UA)
UNITED Auctions sold 4023 old season lambs to average 196.8p per kg at Stirling, last week, having sold to 250p and £110 for Beltex from Luckenburn. 
Texels from Oatfield topped the 1579 cast sheep at £135, with rams to £114 for crosses from Killellan. 

St Boswells

ALL averages improved on the week as Harrison and Hetherington sold 21 bullocks to average 223p per kg (+4p) and 47 heifers which levelled at 227p (+7p). 
They sold to 249p for a heifer from Upper Nisbet with bullocks to 248p from Nisbet, Bee Edge and Lennoxlove. A beast from Lennoxlove topped the gross trade at £1492.96. 
Cast cows were up 16p on the week as 37 averaged 158p, having sold to 195p and £1753.80 from Kedzlie. 
There was a larger show of 1489 hoggs where all types were in high demand as the sale averaged 204.6p (+4.1p) with SQQs at 215p. They hit £128 twice for Texels from Roundabouts and 271.8p for Beltex from Threeburnford. 
Averaging £65, the 542 ewes reached £137 for Texels from Huntington as heavy ewes averaged £85. Light ewes averaged £47 and sold to £81 for Cheviots from Adderstonshiels. 

Ayr
HOGGS were easily cleared, especially meaty, export types as Craig Wilson sold 1518 to average 202.8p per kg, a rise of 8.1p on the week and 33.3p on the year. 
Beltex weighing 43kg from M Stevenson, Balcaimie, Dailly, topped at 239.5p and £110 with Blackfaces to 213.4p for a 41kg pen from A Paton and Co, Craig, Straiton, and £91 from Knockdon. 
Heavy ewes sold sharper on the week and to a top of £150 for Texels from DM Walker and Son, Laigh Alticane, and averaged £76.84. Lighter sorts averaged £43.48 and sold to £69.50 for Blackfaces from James M Barr, Lochgoin, Eaglesham. 

Dingwall
SOME 1003 prime hoggs sold through Dingwall and Highland Marts, on Tuesday, to average 202.8p per kg (+3.8p on the week) with the 736 SQQs at 210p (+8.9p). 
They sold to 246.5p and £106 twice for two pens of Beltex crosses weighing 43kg from Torgorm, Conon Bridge. 
The 47 feeding sheep sold to £80 for a Half-bred ewe from Muirton Mains, Urray.

Carlisle
AN entry of 64 prime cattle saw all classes in demand at Harrison and Hetherington, on Monday, where a top of 237.5p per kg was paid for a Limousin heifer from Messrs Story, Newbiggin. 
Heifers also reached £1484.67 for a Limousin cross from Messrs Harrington, Hosket Hill, while bullocks sold to 231.5p for a British Blue from Messrs Little, Greenhill, as well as £1555.13 for a Limousin cross from Messrs Bowe, Bothel Parks. 
Prime bulls (108) met a fast selling trade as they topped at £2029.28 for a Charolais from Messrs Wight, Carwood, followed closely at £2022.02 for a Limousin from Messrs Hall, Ainstable Hall, which also topped the price per kg at 244.5p. 
A large show of 344 cast cows peaked at £1709 and 188.4p for a Charolais from Messrs Dempster, Castle Hill. Dairy cows reached 155.5p from Messrs Rome, Fauldie, and £1144 from Messrs Hunter and Son, Berrier Head. 
Hoggs (1736) met a similar trade to the previous week to average 207.57p, having sold to £119.80 for a Texel from GW Gaitskell, High Field, and 284.1p for a pen of Texle sfrom KD Harryman, Keskadale. 

Castle Douglas
THOSE weighing 37kg and above met a sound trade, if slightly sharper on the week, at Wallets Marts’ sale of 1969, where best-bred export lambs were good to sell. 
Averaging 203.07p per kg (SQQ 204.1p), the sale reached £115 and 294.1p for a pen of 21 Beltex from Messrs MacTaggart, Craigview. 
Cast sheep were a plainer show and sold to £117 for Texels from Low Arkland.

Newton Stewart
CRAIG Wilson sold 1042 prime hoggs which were again dearer on the week and averaged 196.1p per kg with 305 Blackfaces at 188p. 
Heavy Beltex from J McMillan, Carse o’Clary, topped at £112, with lightweight Texels from G Paterson, Kildarroch, to 223.7p. Blackies reached £87 from Messrs McIntosh, Drumflower, and 209.2p from N Hurcombe, Barnvannoch.