Dumfries

PRIME cattle met a firm demand at C and D Auction Marts' sale where 46 sold to 230p per kg for a Limousin heifer from Burnside, Lochmaben.

OTM cattle peaked at 140p per kg for an Angus from Kirkwood and £960 for a Limousin from Herries. Overall, 28 beef cows averaged 106.4p, with 11 dairy types at 87.7p.

Prime lambs were also in demand with the 857 head selling to 213p for Texels from Riggheads and £101 from the same home.

Penrith

LAMBS met a flying trade at Penrith and District Farmers' prime sale at Penrith which attracted an entry of 2636 lambs, 1175 cast ewes and rams and 64 store lambs.

Topping the sale at £108 or 251.0p per kg was a single Beltex lamb from R and JM Ridley, Ranbeck. The SQQ was 186p.

Cast ewes peaked at £140 for Texels from Holme Farm.

Forfar

PRICES peaked at 203.3p per kg and £96 per head at Lawrie and Symington's sale of 942 prime sheep.

Leading the trade per kg were Beltex from Shandford, while the top priced lambs per head were Beltex from Easter Balgillo. The overall average was 174.4p.

The entry of 170 lambs was led by Texels from Balbrydie which made £147 and £123.50.

Cockermouth

A STRONG trade prevailed throughout at Mitchells' prime sale at Cockermouth, where young bulls topped the sale.

The entry of 26 cattle was topped by a Limousin bull from Messrs Teasdale, Lowside, which made 216.5p per kg or £1387.75. Top price per head was £1415.70, paid for another Limousin, this time from D and MA Wilson, Lamplugh Hall.

Wythop Hall led the cast cow trade at 207.5p and £1392.51, paid for a British Blue.

Leading the sheep entry which included 1502 lambs and 146 ewes and rams, at £115 per head was a Texel ewe from Lake View.

Prime lambs peaked at 233.30p for a Beltex lamb from JA and CM Brown, Parkhouse, or £115 for a Texel from Messrs Holliday and Graham, Bolton Wood Lane. The SQQ was 185.10p.

Thainstone

PRIME lamb averages improved 6p per kg on the week at Aberdeen and Northern Marts weekly sale which saw 800 head average 177.6p with an SQQ of 179.6p per kg.

Top price was 191.9p paid for Beltex lambs from Balmaleedie House, Grangehall and £107.50 for 67kg Texels from Westerton, Echt.

Just 11 prime cattle were forward, which saw six heifers sell to 224p per kg and £1422.40 for a 635kg Charolais from Ladymill, Alford, to average 215.8p.

Young bulls peaked at 209p and £1557.05 for a £745kg British Blue from Bridgeton, Muir of Fowlis, to average 196.3p.

The entry of 79 beef cows was led by Simmentals from Hall of Clestrain, Orphir, which made 160.8p per kg for a 790kg entry and £1290 for an 875kg cow.

Longtown

A SMALLER entry of 3821 prime lambs was forward for C and D Auction Marts' sale which saw trade peak at 250p for a pen of Beltex lams from T Linton, The Firs, Lanark, and £130 for Texels from A Hamilton, Smyllum Road, Lanark.

The overall average was 188.2p with an SQQ of 187.5p.

Texel ewes from Messrs Hastings, Kilncroft, Dumfries, topped the entry of 4767 cast ewes and rams selling at £168. Hill ewes peaked at £71 for Blackfaces from Messrs Browell, Quarry House, Hexham.

Rams sold to £130 for a Texel from Eastside.

And, the small selection of cattle saw cast cows peak at £711 for a Dutch black and white cow from T and M Irving, Becton Hall and clean cattle to 220p twice for Limousin heifers from JW Vevers, High Stenries, with a top price per head of £1397 from the same home.

* The company's Christmas poultry sale of turkeys, geese, chickens and ducks, attracted an entry of 453 birds which saw a top price of £100 paid for a 22.5lb oven ready turkey, with many other heavy birds selling from £70-£90.

Rough plucked geese were topped at £52 and rough plucked turkeys sold to £72, with oven ready chickens to £24.

Darlington

ONLY a handful of clean cattle were forward for Darlington Farmers' sale, where a top price of 248p per kg was achieved for a Limousin heifer from CR Raine and Son, Stanhope Gate or £1691 per head for a Limousin steer from J Leiper and Sons, Black Heddon.

Fewer lambs were also forward with the 1670 head returning an overall average of 191p. Top price was 244p per kg paid for single lamb from Messrs Askwiths, Middle Mown Meadows, or £110 per head for a Texel from W Denham, Dent Gate.

Cast sheep met a flying trade peaking at £102 for Texel ewes from JH and J Raper and Partners, Quarry Grange.

Stirling (UA)

UNITED Auctions' prime sheep sale at Stirling saw 4159 lambs average of 175.1p per kg having sold to 245p per kg and £108 per head for Beltex from Coilavouin.

The entry of 1185 ewes was led by Texels from Humeston at £122 with continental rams from South Ballaird, making £95.

Hawes

TWO days before Christmas, Hawes Farmers Auction Mart had forward 193 head of poultry which saw a top price of £66 or £4.77 per lb, paid for a turkey from JR and A Blades, Hawes.

Chickens peaked at £32 or £3.14 per lb from A Pollard, Thirkleby and geese were topped at £30 or £2.65 per lb from HE Fairburn, Thornton Steward.

And, at the firm's prime sheep sale on Tuesday, 317 prime lambs and 324 cast ewes and rams sold to 203p per kg for continental lambs from Booth Bros, Sedburgh. Top price per head was £91 for similarly bred lambs from JR and LA Capstick.

Stirling (Cale)

ON Tuesday, Caledonian Marts saw their biggest and best show of the season, with 2702 lambs cashing in at 189.1p per kg – up 14.1p on the week.

Top price per head of £105 was paid on two occasions – for 52kg Beltex from Doune Farms and for a 52kg Suffolk from Easter Ochtermuthill.

Lead price per kg at 230p was a 43kg Beltex from J and D McNicol, Whitecross.

The entry of 353 cast ewes an tups saw export types average £42.94 and heavy ewes at £66.21. Top price was £119, paid for a pair of Texels from Whitecross.

J36

BOXING Day lambs met a premium at North West Auctions' J36 centre when an entry of 609 lambs sold to average of 207p per kg.

Heavyweight Suffolk lambs topped the trade at £115 from LA and M Lambert of Brow Head. Beltex lambs from George Harryman of The Galleon, led the price per kg at 256p and 254p.

Cast sheep sold to £97 and £95 for large continental ewes from SH and PI Bowes of Harbarrow Farm.

Dingwall

TOP price at Dingwall and Highland Marts sale of two prime bullocks and 25 heifers, was 226p, paid for a 560kg Limousin cross from Coach House, Dingwall an d£1411.20 for a 630kg Limousin cross from Bridgend Farm.

Steers peaked at 209.0p and £1312.50 for a 625kg Simmental cross, again from Bridgend Farm.

The entry of 178 prime lambs averaged 164.9p, having peaked at 183.0p and £86 per head for a pen of 47kg Beltex crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge. The SQQ for 104 was 168.8p.