Forfar
BELTEX lambs led the trade at Lawrie and Symington’s sale of 402 prime sheep, securing the top price per head and per kg. Top per kg of 232.6p was paid for lambs from Balbrydie with £110 per head paid for entries from Easter Balgillo. The sale average was 191.4p per kg (+17.2p on the week).
Ewes sold to £109 for Beltex from Easter Balgillo.

Penrith
PENRITH and District Farmers’ Mart’s final prime sheep sale of 2017 saw 2580 lambs go under the hammer, which saw SQQ lambs average just shy of 200p at 199.9p per kg. Top price per kg was 256p paid for 39kg Beltex from Allan Williamson, Dyke Head, Penton. 
In all, no fewer than 1078 lambs sold between 200p-256p and 184 lambs realised between £100-£112 per head with a top price of £112 paid for 58kg Suffolks from J Ellwood and Partners, Howrigg, Blencarn.
Cast ewes and rams saw heavy Suffolk ewes make £112 from Hyde Park. Horned and plain ewes met one of the dearest trades of the season, with Swaledales from TJ and D Dixon, Shire Lodge, achieving £57 with Scottish Blackface ewes to £65 from Hyde Park. 

Dumfries
TRADE finished on a high note at C and D Auction Marts’ final primestock sale of the year at Dumfries, where 702 lambs sold to 213p per kg for Beltex from Riggheads and £93 for Suffolks from the same home.
Cast ewes and rams (246) sold to £136.50 for Texel ewes from Townfoot.

Castle Douglas
MORE than 1300 prime and cast sheep were forward for Wallets Marts’ sale at Castle Douglas, where 1129 lambs sold to average 186.64p with the SQQ offering at 188.59p. Beltex from Messrs MacTaggart, Craigview, led the sale at 270.3p and £113.
Leading the cast section at £88 were Charollais rams from Farhills.

Cockermouth
A FULL ringside of buyers was forward for Mitchells Auction Co’s prime sale of 1874 sheep and 13 cattle.
A good show of lambs saw an SQQ average of 192.6p per kg (+7.7p on the week), selling to a top of 244.4p for a Beltex lamb from JW and VI Naylor, Hill Green. Lead price per head was £110 paid twice for a Beltex and a Texel lamb from the same home.
Cull ewes peaked at £124 for Texels from Blake Hills.
Leading the cattle trade at 219.5p was a Limousin bull from Messrs Taylor and Gill, Fell End, while a 760kg Limousin bull from Messrs Teasdale, Lowside Farm, achieved the top price per head at £1569.40.

Thainstone
NEW season lambs averaged 177.5p per kg with an SQQ average of 182.3p at Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ sale of 1070 prime sheep, store lambs, feeding ewes and rams.
Beltex from Holmhead, Bucksburn, topped the trade at 202.2p, while 60kg Suffolks from Upper Sauchen, Ordhead, made £96.
Feeding sheep (214) sold to £137.50 for pure Texel ewes from Weston, Deskford. 

Lanark
AT Lawrie and Symington’s sale at Lanark, 2327 prime lambs averaged 190.6p per kg having sold to 230.5p per kg for a 41kg Beltex from R and M Struthers, Collielaw Farm, and £105 for a 55kg Beltex from A Taylor, Heatheryhall Farm.
Cast ewes and rams (346) averaged £60.70, with a top price of £113.50 paid for Texel ewes from £113.50 from Whinnybrae. 

Stirling (UA)
TEXEL and Beltex sheep topped United Auctions’ final sale of the year at Stirling where 3288 lambs averaged 190.5p per kg. 
Top price per head of £114 was paid for Texels from Errol Enterprises, with Beltex from Berrydyke attracting the lead price per kg at 229p.
Texels also led the cast trade of 1373 head with ewes from Hill of Errol and West Carse both making £140 per head.

Longtown
SOME 5342 prime lambs, and 3727 cast ewes and rams were forward for C and D Auction Marts’ sale at Longtown, where averages levelled at 199.6p with an SQQ average of 200p.
Top price was 279p for a Beltex lamb from T Story, Greenburn, Canonbie, or £119 for Texel lambs from R Ferguson, Priory Nook, Carlisle. 
Cast ewes and rams peaked at £156 for Texel ewes from Messrs Hastings, Kilncroft, Dumfries and again from A Graham, The Wreay, Wigton. Hill ewes sold to £69 for Blackfaces from Messrs Longlands, Tone Hall, Hexham, with rams to £126 for a Texel from Viewley. 

Darlington
TRADE was sharper on the week for an increased entry of bulls (89) at Darlington Auction Mart’s sale where a top price of 236p per kg was paid twice for bulls.
First was a Limousin from JH and D Wise, Preston Manor, which realised £1739 and later for a a British Blue, from DA and MAM Brown, Agglethorpe Hall, that made £1498. Clean cattle (28) peaked at 249p and £1533, for a Blonde heifer from WJ Scott, Low Leam. 
Lambs (2083) also sold well to average 187p per kg, peaking at 233p for a lamb from JA Birkbeck, Danotty Hall. Top per head at £108.50 were Texels from J and A Moralee, Hardriding Farm.
Texels also led the cast sheep trade at £125 for ewes from T Nesbitt and Son, Alwent Hall.

Skipton
A SMALL, but select offering of prime cattle saw just 13 under 30-month entries forward for Craven Auction Marts’ sale at Skipton which sold to 249.5p per kg for a 540kg Limousin cross heifer from James Drake, Denholme, or £1437 for a Limousin cross steer from the same home.
Prime lambs (2389) averaged £81.68 per head, or 195.9p per kg, having sold to 282p for Beltex lambs from Kath Saffrey, of Halton West, or £120 on two occasions for the same breed from Henry Atkinson, of Felliscliffe.
Cast ewes (250) saw ewes average £82 per head, with cast rams at £78.25.

Carlisle
Harrison and Hetherington’s prime sale at Borderway mart staged last Friday, saw less numbers forward due to the change of date and the holiday arrangements.
Cast cows were topped at 145.5p for two Charolais cross heifers from Messrs Robinson, Bridge End Farm.
Prime bulls peaked at 199.5p for a run of Angus bulls from Messrs Fawcett, Silver How Farm.
Prime lambs enjoyed a strong demand but eased later in the day for the plainer types, to produce and overall average of 193.5p. Texel crosses from Messrs Browell, Quarry House, Hexham, topped the trade at 261.4p and £109.80 per head.

Hawes
The first sale of the New Year, at Hawes Auction Mart, saw 1350 sheep forward, comprising 1061 prime and hoggs, 289 cast ewes and rams and 10 calves.
Top price was £100 per head for continental crosses from J Platts, Middleham, with continentals from AD Coates and Son, Keld, leading the pence per kg section at 206p.
Continental ewes sold to £118 to average £91.32 and hill breeds peaked at £50 to level at £35.28.

Stirling (Cal)
ON Tuesday, 2260 prime hoggs, ewes and rams were up for sale at Caledonian Marts’ first sale of 2018 at Stirling where the 1714 hoggs sold easier on the week to average 181p – a fall of 8p per kg on the week, but a rise of 15.5p on the year.
Doune Farms topped the trade at £97 per head and 211p per kg with a 46kg Beltex.
Heavy ewes averaged £74.80 selling to £109 for a Texel from AC Fotheringham, Ballinloan, with export ewes at £47.90. Rams peaked at £110 for a BFL from R McNee, Woodend.

Wigton
OLD season lambs were a flyer of a trade at Hopes Auction Co’s first primestock sale of 2018, on Tuesday, where reduced numbers resulting in an overall average of 218p per kg with an SQQ of 221p.
Top price was £140 per head paid for 45kg Beltex from M Bindloss and Son, Shap Abbey, Shap, or 326.82p per kg for 41kg Beltex from GEH and SJ Stoddart, Hillside.
Texel ewes from JE Studholme and Son, Nealhouse, Cardewlees, Carlisle, led the cast ewe trade at £108.
The entry of 41 cattle peaked at 235.5p and £1584.92 for a 673kg Limousin heifer from DA Harrison, Hill House, Aldoth.
Bulls sold to 234.5p on two occasions from I and CL Richardson, Greenlands, Cockermouth and JG and M Little, Greenhill Farm, Wigton. Top per head was £1664.78 from TA Byers, Ellen Bank, Boltongate.