Prime sales in April 14 issue

Ballymena
SOME 801 sheep sold at Ballymena, last week, where hoggs (520) reached 508p per kg and £117 for a pen of 16 Texels weighing 23kg from Ian Montgomery, Glenwherry. 
Spring lambs (54) peaked at 600p and £138 for a dozen Dorsets weighing 38kg from T and J Mackey, Ballynure. 

Dumfries
AN entry of 12 prime cattle was easily sold at C and D Auction Marts, where Limousin heifers from J Jardine, Yett, topped at 234p and 229p per kg. 
Trade continued to please for the 79 OTM cattle on offer which peaked at 155p for British Blues from Druidhall/Braco as well as £1207.50 for a Simmental from Tregallon (Fitzsimon). A Fleckvieh from Slacks made £1205.40 and 147p as 51 dairy cows averaged 116.5p while 28 beef cows levelled at 155p. 
Hogg numbers were tight at 460 with well-fleshed hoggs in big demand. They sold to 286p for handyweight crosses from Woodhouse as well as £154 for heavy Suffolks from Larglea. 

Huntly
CENTRE records were smashed at United Auctions’ sale of 1869 prime hoggs, last week, where vendors cashed in on the dearest trade ever as a new centre record average of 258p per kg was set. 
The sale was topped by Beltex from Upper Tullochbeg at 292p for a 48kg pen and £151 for others weighing 54.3kg. 
A highlight of the sale was a pen of 106 Cheviots weighing 48kg from Little Forgue which realised £136, with the same home selling 228 to average £131 at 46kg. 
Cast ewes (709) met a firm enquiry to peak at £158 for Suffolks from Leitchestown. 

Cockermouth
PRIME hoggs were in demand at Mitchell Auction Company’s sale where they averaged 265.4p per kg with SQQs at 243.2p. 
Trade reached £150 and 330.2p for Texels from How Hall, while spring lambs sold to £132 and 287p from Springfield Road. 
In the cattle ring, trade remained strong as cast cows sold to £1228.25 for a Holstein Friesian from Frizington Hall and 154.5p for a Limousin from Woodend Farm. 

Longtown
BELTEX from Jimmy Taylor, Easter Octhermuthill, topped C and D Auctions’ sale of 2241 prime hoggs at Longtown, last week, when they sold for £170 or 387p per kg. 
While the sale averaged 272p, with many pens of heavy hoggs selling in excess of £150, export hoggs reached 300p or more. 
The first 17 spring lambs of the season peaked at £159 for pens of heavy Suffolks from H Martindale, The Land, Lockerbie, who also topped the pence per kg at 324.5p for a similar pen weighing 49kg. They averaged 305.7p. 
An entry of 2318 cast ewes and rams levelled at £102.29 and sold to £174 for Texel rams from Eastside, while ewes reached £169 for Texels from Kilncroft. 

Thainstone
HEIFERS topped the sale of prime cattle at Aberdeen and Northern Marts when a 530kg Limousin from Waterside of Forbes, Alford, made 242p per kg and a 665kg Limousin from Tillyorn, Corse, hit £1516.20. 
Heifers (28) cashed in to average 220.4p while 10 bullocks levelled at 214p and sold to 231p for a 625kg Limousin from Greenstyle, Kildrummy, and £1461.75 for a 765kg Charolais from Home Farm, Longhaven. 
An offering of 119 beef cows levelled at 150.8p (-2.8p on the week) and peaked at 181.1p for a Limousin and £1700 for a British Blonde, both from Earlsfield, Kennethmont. 
Among the prime sheep, all classes sold at extreme rates, reaching levels never seen before at the centre. A total of 4782 old season lambs averaged 284.3p (+46.5p) with 2786 SQQs at 287.1p, and sold to 365.5p for 42kg Beltex from Pityot, Bridge of Muchalls, and £158.50 for 51kg Texels from Newton of Lewesk, Old Rayne. 

Stirling (UA)
SOME 3678 old season lambs sold through United Auctions last week, where they averaged 272.5p per kg and sold to £166 and 377p for Beltex from Luckenburn.
Levelling at 292.7p, the 16 new season lambs peaked at £158 for Suffolks from West Carse and 319p for Charollais from Langside. 
Ewes and rams (738) sold to £196 for Suffolk ewes from Chalmerstone. 

Stirling (Cal)
A MIXED show of cattle met the dearest trade for a number of years at Caledonian Marts’ sale of 70 prime cattle.
Heifers topped the pence per kg when they sold to 258p per kg for a Limousin from Learielaw, which also realised £1652. 
Bullocks reached 255p three times – for two Limmy bullocks from Borlick, one of which made £1668, and for another from Learielaw. 
The 108 cast cows saw beef types average 149p and reach 189.5p for a Limousin from CD McMillan, Tallant, and £1560 for a Simmental from GL Clark, Broombrae, while dairy cows levelled at 115p and sold to 153p from J Craig, Carniel, and £1050 from R Denholm and Son, Wester Lochdrum. 
On Tuesday, hoggs met the dearest trade ever recorded at this centre, when the 1573 forward averaged 273.12p (+41.24p on the week and +106p on the year). Top price was £150 or 353p for a pen of four Beltex weighing 42.5kg from Jimmy Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill. 

Ayr
ON Monday, Craig Wilson sold 1972 prime sheep comprising 1550 prime hoggs and 422 cast sheep. 
Hoggs peaked at 337p per kg and £164 for Beltex from M Stevenson, Balcaimie, and cashed in to average 279.7p (+47.6p on the week). 
Blackface hoggs levelled at 266.5p and topped at £136.50 for a 48kg pen from JN McNicol and Company and 306.1p from James Shennan and Sons, Knockgerran. 
Cast ewes and tups sold sharper on the week and reached £162 for a Texel ewe from J and M Wilson, Barneil. 
The firm’s sale of 204 prime and cast cattle sold dearer on the week when 12 heifers cashed in to average 231.3p. Top price at 250p and £1462.50 were two Limousin heifers from High Gameshill. 
An entry of 47 beef cows levelled at 139.73p and peaked at £1560 or 186.8p for a Limousin from South Craigton, while 134 dairy cattle averaged 112.21p and reached £1200 for a Friesian from Carskerdo and 150.9p for the same from Barachan. 

St Boswells
CATTLE from Bee Edge led Harrison and Hetherington’s sale of prime cattle at St Boswells, when a heifer made 262p per kg and another sold for £1535.32. 
The 42 heifers averaged 226.7p (-1.2p on the week) while bullocks levelled at 225.9p (+5.9p) and sold to 239p from Smailholm Mains. 
An entry of 39 cast cows met a strong demand when they averaged 149.1p and sold to £1636.32 and 177p from Thrunton. 
A rise of 37.8p on the week saw the 777 prime hoggs reach the highest rates to date, cashing in at 288.8p or £137. They sold to £176 twice for Suffolks from Boghall and 369.9p for Beltex from Newton Farm. 
Ewes (259) averaged £96.29 and sold to £165 for Hampshire ewes from East Fortune. 

Lanark
BUTCHERS cattle averaged 246p per kg at Lawrie and Symington’s prime sale on Monday, and peaked at 260p for a 522kg Limousin heifer from David Dickinson, Brockwoodlees, Canonbie. 
Cast cows and bulls (95) sold to £1205 and 162p for an Aberdeen-Angus from Rowanhill. 
Averaging 275p, the 1941 prime hoggs sold to 366p for 45kg Beltex and £165.50 for 50kg Beltex, all from A Taylor, Heatheryhall. 
Texels from Cambwell topped the cast ewes at £180.

Carlisle
A LARGER and quality show of 66 prime steers and heifers was forward at Harrison and Hetherington’s Borderway Mart, where a Limousin cross bullock from The Laurels, Wigton, topped at £1866.23. Top price per kilo was 238.50p per kg for an entry from Messrs Dixon, Low Whinnow, Carlisle. 
An entry of 112 prime bulls peaked at £2298.64 and 243.5p for a British Blue from Messrs Telfer, Newton High House, Newcastle. 
The 356 cast cows peaked a £1655 for a 860kg Limousin cow from Messrs Ridley, Haltcliffe and 204.5p for a British Blue from Bowscale, while black and white cows reached 135.5p and £1218 from Messrs Armstrong, Littleton, Castle Douglas. 
An increased entry of 1878 prime hoggs cashed in at 297.8p with SQQs at 303.97p and reached £167.80 for a pen of heavy Texel hoggs from Messrs Pigg, Gaitsgill, Dalston and 366.6p for Beltex from Messrs Graham, Laws Hall, Longtown. 

Dingwall
FORWARD at Dingwall and Highland Marts’ prime sale was 18 bullocks which cashed in to average 219.9p, while 18 heifers levelled at 229.6p (-6.7p). 
Bullocks and heifers both peaked at 246p for a 560kg British Blue cross bullock from Easter Sheep Park, Balblair and 535kg for a Limousin cross heifer from Easter Strath of Auchterflow, Killen. 
Topping the gross trade at £1482.55 was for a 745kg Limousin cross from Brae of Coulmore, North Kessock, while a Limousin cross heifer weighing 615kg from Shoreton Mains, Culbokie, made £1476. 
Old season lambs (1267) levelled at 276.6p (+51p on the week) and reached 329.3p for a pen of 41kg Texel crosses from Balmaglaster, Spean Bridge and £141 for a pen of 48kg Texel crosses from the same home. The 1065 SQQs averaged 279.5p (+48.1p). 
An entry of 111 ewes and feeding sheep peaked at £188 for a pen of Texel crosses from Woodside, Muir of Tarradale. 

Wigton
PRIME hoggs sold to a keen ringside of buyers at Hopes Auction Company’s sale of 1114 when they averaged 311.7p per kg with SQQs at 312.27p. 
Top price per head was £182 for a pen of six 48kg Texels from J Dixon and Sons, Lesson Hall, Wigton, while the same home topped the pence per kg at 416.3p for a pen of 43kg Texels. 
A larger show of prime ewes reached a top of £150 for Beltex ewes from GEH and SJ Stoddart, Hillside, Wigton, while rams peaked at £130 for Texels from Bank Head. 
The 42 prime cattle forward sold to 245.5p twice for Limousin heifers from DA Harrison, Hill House, Aldoth and Lesson Hall, Wigton, while bullocks reached 217.5p on three occasions for Limousin crosses from Messrs Cape, Kirkland Guards, Mealsgate, Messrs Bowe Bothel Parks, Bothel and W Gray and Sons, Mid Town, Aspatria. Top price per head was £1530.05 for an entry from Kirkland Guards.

Castle Douglas
AN end of season show of 288 prime hoggs sold to extreme rates at Wallets Marts’ Castle Douglas this week, where meated hoggs of all weights were easily sold. 
The sale reached £150 for heavy Suffolks from Messrs Corrie, Little Park and 304.8p for a pen of Texels from Van Zwanenberg, Barlocco. 
Cast sheep also sold in excess of expectations to a top of £143 for a pair of Texel ewes from South Quintinespie.