Wigton
THERE was a smaller than expected entry of 25 prime cattle which met the usual ‘January resistance’ at Hopes Auction Co last week. 
A top of 236.5p per kg was paid for a Limousin heifer from TW Bell and Son, Hilltop Farm, with another weighing 703kg from J Crichton, Loughrigg, leading the gross trade at £1613.39.
Bullocks reached 210.5p and £1492.45 for a British Blue from Messrs Bowe, Mechi. Prime bulls sold to 227.5p for a Limousin from JG and M Little, Greenhill Farm, as well as £11692.41 for a Blonde from JF Bowe and Sons, Calvo. 
Prime hoggs were a good trade as 900 cashed in to average 217p per kg. They peaked at £140 for 43kg Dutch Texels from D and HE Batty, Cobble Croft, as well as 337.5p per kg for 40kg Beltex from B Strong, Grapes Barn. 

Forfar
PRIME cattle selling at Lawrie and Symington, last week, were topped at 254p per kg by a 533kg Limousin heifer from West Bog. 
Per head, heifers reached £1531.80 for a 666kg Limmy from the Gask and the 37 on offer averaged 233p. Bullocks (nine) averaged 238p and were topped by Limousins from Nethermyres – at 251p for one weighing 569kg and £1606.86 for another weighing 711kg. 
The nine cast cows hit £1270 for a Simmental cross from Mill of Inverarity and 166p for a Limousin from Cairnleith. 
Averaging 179.5p (+6.1p on the week) the 739 hoggs sold to 202.7p and 202.3p for Beltex from Scotbshaugh and Balbrydie as well as £100 for Beltex from Easter Balgillo. 
Suffolks from West Pitcorthie topped the 142 cast ewes at £106. 

Ballymena
AN entry of 2162 sheep in Ballymena Livestock Market met a a sharp trade, as hoggs hit a top of 400p per kg for a pen of 21 Texels weighing 22.5kg from A Smyth, Ballymoney. 
Hoggs also sold to £104.50 for a pen of 13 Texels weighing 29kg from Denis Boyd, Straid. 

Dumfries
PRIME cattle were short of requirements when C and D Auction Marts sold 14, last week, to a top of 232p per kg for Limousin heifers from both Burnside, Lochmaben, and Yett, Johnstonebridge. 
Among the cast cattle, 10 beef cows averaged 124p and sold to 168p for a Stabiliser from South Mains as well as a Limousin from Abune the Brae. Dairy cows (63) averaged 107.5p and hit 153p and £1025.10 for a Friesian from Drum. 
The 972 hoggs met a firmer trade and sold to £90.50 for heavyweight Suffolks from West Skelston. 
Ewes (399) hit £143.50 for Texels from Skipmyre. 

Huntly
BUYERS were seeking fed sheep and those achieved premium rates at United Auctions’ sale of 1128 hoggs. 
The sale reached £95 for 53kg Texels from Burn of Aultmore, Newmill, as well as for 61kg Texels from Ord Rhynie, while, per kg, the sale hit 200p for 46kg Beltex from 18 Richmond Gardens, Rhynie. 
Ewes (800) sold to £138 for Texels from Corsairtly. 

Thainstone
LIMOUSINS led most sections at Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ sale of prime cattle when a 500kg heifer from Cairncoullie, Glenkindie, topped at 240p per kg; a 635kg bullock from Whiteside, Tullynessle, made 223p; and a 780kg bullock from Standingstone, Echt, sold for £1489.80. 
Heifers also reached £1368.95 for a 655kg Charolais from Ernan, Waterside, and the 15 heifers averaged 222.1p (+2.2p on the week) while four bullocks levelled at 210.3p. 
A British Blue from Mains of Dumbreck, Udny, topped the cast cows at 201.2p and £1710, as the 251 beef cows averaged 140.1p (+5.6p) and the five dairy sorts levelled at 100.8p with 19 cast bulls at 116.9p (+1.5p). 
The hogg average also rose on the week, by 4.4p to 177.6p for 1758, while the SQQ average was up 3p to 180.9p for 989. They sold to 209.5p for 42kg Beltex from Boynesmill House, Forgue, and £110 for 63kg Beltex from Southfield, New Deer.

Longtown
BEST quality hoggs were in demand and regularly made £100-£120, while heavy hoggs were still dear per head and lighter sorts remained similar at C and D Auction Marts’ sale of 5601. 
They sold to 289p per kg and £120 for Beltex from A and A Little, Hollands, followed at £118 for Beltex from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill. 
The sale averaged 188.5p (SQQ 190.4p). 
Among the 3876 cast sheep, Texel ewes from Douganhill Farm, Orchardton Mains, topped at £158 with hill ewes to £66 for a pen of Lleyns from R Harrison and Sons, Peddar Hill. Rams reached £140 for Texels from AR Bell and Son, Kirkton. 

Stirling (Cal)
CATTLE were no cheaper on the week and many more could have been sold at Caledonian Marts’ sale of 107, where bullocks levelled at 220p per kg, heifers at 221p and young bulls at 178p. 
The sale reached 258p for a Limousin heifer from Knockhouse, Dunfermline, which also realised £1604, while bullocks sold to 248p from Brockwoodlees, Canonbie, and £1636 from Learielaw, Broxburn. 
Also forward were 81 cast cattle where beef cows averaged 130.5p (+6.5p on the week) and sold to 183.5p for a Limousin from Ferguson Bros, Gillandersland, and £1500 for another from W Dick and Sons, Mains of Throsk. Dairy cows averaged 96.6p (+7.6p) and sold to 117.4p and £850 from Muirhead Dairy, Overton. 
On Tuesday, the Caley sold 1321 hoggs to average 186.9p (+2.7p on the week) with heavy hoggs at £91.32 (+60p). Topping at 263p was a 41kg Beltex cross from Scott Lambie, Braco Castle, while at £106 was a 53kg Beltex from Doune Farms, West Lundie. 

Stirling (UA)
UNITED Auctions sold 3638 prime hoggs last week, which cashed in to average 181.9p per kg and sold to 232p for Beltex from Lochend and £118 for Texels from Knock o Ronald. 
The 1190 cast ewes and rams reached £147 for Suffolk rams off Catcune and £107 for Texel ewes from the same home. 

Darlington
THE large entry of 146 prime bulls at Darlington Auction Mart sold easier on the week and it was a British Blue from JH and D Wise, Preston Manor, which topped at 243p per kg and £1854.
Clean cattle topped at 260p for a Limousin heifer from J and B Fitton, Shaw, with the 93 heifers also hitting £1511. Bullocks (15) sold to 234p from JL Marks and £1566 from LW Aconley and Sons. 
There was a firmer trade for all classes of 1855 hoggs, which peaked at 260p for a pair of Beltex crosses from W Ramsay and Son, Blakeley Hill, as well as £107 for a single Texel from TW Brown, Brokes Farm. 
Cast sheep (890) sold to £110 for a continental ewe from M Radford, Easter Underhurth. 

Ayr
QUALITY export hoggs sold steadily at 200p per kg upwards while heavy hoggs were scarce at Craig Wilson’s sale of 1182 on Monday. 
Averaging 189.8p per kg (+20.7p on the week and +24.3p on the year), they sold to 218.6p for a pen of Beltex weighing 43kg from James Hodge and Miss Claire Cuthbertson, Drummuir, as well as £105 for Texels from Ochiltree Mains. 
The 602 cast sheep reached £151.50 for a pen of Texels from J and K Forsyth, Glenside, and heavy ewes averaged £71.84. Lighter ewes reached £55 for a pen of Blackfaces from A and CB Millar, Baidlandhill, and averaged £42.76.
On Tuesday, the company sold 12 prime cattle to a top of 249p for a Limousin heifer from Borland and £1486.80 
for another from Girvan Mains. 
Of the 79 cast beef cows, which averaged 128.3p, a Limousin from Duchra topped at 160.8p and a Simmental from Skeoch made £1260. Dairy cows (114) levelled at 104.8p and peaked at 132.6p and £1160 from Parklea. 

St Boswells
SELLING through Harrison and Hetherington on Monday were 72 clean cattle, 76 cast cows, 1717 hoggs and 710 cast ewes. 
A heifer from Penston topped at 245p per kg as the 45 heifers cashed in to average 220p (+4p on the week), while bullocks (26) reached 244p from Lennoxlove and averaged 223p (n/c). Per head, it was a beast from Lennoxlove that topped at £1493.28.
Averaging 140p (-2p), cast cows reached 197p from Meigle and £1626.30 from Humebyres. 
All types of hogg were in demand as the sale averaged 185.2p (+1.7p). They sold to £106 for a Beltex cross Suffolk from Messrs Sandilands, Ruecastle Cottages, and 210.5p for Texels from Upper Samiestone. 
The large show of ewes averaged £62, with heavies at £79 and lights at £36. They sold to £117 for heavy Charollais from East Mains, with light ewes to £77 for North Country Cheviots from West Mains. Suffolks from Symington Mains topped the cast rams at £107. 

Lanark
BUTCHERS’ cattle cashed in to average 242p per kg at Lawrie and Symington, on Monday, where a 542kg Limousin heifer from David Dickinson, Brockwoodlees, topped the entry at 252p. 
Bullocks reached 232p for a Limousin from Hill Farm. 
Of the 105 cast cows and bulls, beef cows reached £1195 twice for Limousins from both South Flakefield and Dreva, while another from Kepscaith made 162p. Dairy cows hit £1085 and 125p from Harelaw. 
Texels from Robert and Margaret Struthers, Collielaw, headed up the hogg entry at 234.5p for one weighing 42kg and £100.50 for another at 45kg. The 1634 hoggs levelled at 183.4p. 
Texel ewes from Drumalbin topped the cast sheep entry at £114.50. 

Carlisle
A MIXED show of 56 prime cattle sold at Harrison and Hetherington, where a Limousin cross bullock from Messrs Story, Jacksonrigg, topped at £1623. 
Bullocks also reached 234.5p per kg for a Limmy cross from Messrs Dixon, Low Whinnow, while heifers reached £1344 for a Limousin cross from Procters Farm, Swarland Old Hall, as well as 241.5p from Messrs Story, Newbiggin. 
A Limousin from Procters topped the 100 young bulls at £1633.07 and 232.5p. 
A large entry of 437 cast cows and bulls saw a British Blue cow from Messrs Pattinson, Temon, top at £1673 or 214.5p, while dairy cows reached £1081 from Messrs Bulman and Son as well as 149.5p from Messrs Elwen, Netherfield.
Trade for hoggs (2100) was sharper on the week and it was Beltex which topped at £108.80 twice – from W, J and I Dinsdale, Highfield, and again from RR, E and JR Reay, St Oswalds. 
More Beltex from Highfield topped the pence per kg at 281.1p for a trio weighing 38kg, while hill lambs reached £88.30 for Blackfaces from Messrs Fisher, Smalmstown, and 192.7p for Cheviots from Messrs Reid, Bengal.