Forfar
LIMOUSIN heifers topped Lawrie and Symington’s sale of prime cattle when they peaked at 242p for an entry weighing 567kg from West Bog and again for another at 552kg from Woodhead of Mailer. 
Heifers (17) also reached £1496.14 for a 626kg Limousin from West Bog, to average 229p. 
Limousins from Nethermyres headed up the 13 bullocks, which averaged 222p, at 238p for stots weighing 621kg and 618kg, as well as £1619.36 for an entry at 698kg. 
A British Blue from Cairnleith topped the eight cast cows at 163p and £1380.
Hoggs (548) met the dearest trade of the season to date to average 209.7p (+11.6p). The offering peaked at 232.6p for Beltex weighing 46kg from Glenmoy and £112 for more of the same weighing 50kg from Easter Balgillo. 
Texels off Myreside topped the 121 cast ewes at £97. 

Ballymena
AN entry of 2559 sheep met a steady trade at Ballymena Livestock Mart, where hoggs reached 463p per kg for a pen of 23.5kg Beltex from JW Harbinson, Limavady, as well as £110 for a 30kg Bluefaced Leicester from JR Loughrey, Limavady. 
Prime ewes sold to £107.

Huntly
HOGGS met an animated trade throughout United Auctions’ sale of 1877 at Huntly last week, where all classes sold at dearer rates on the week and many more could have easily been sold. 
Beltex weighing 37.5kg from Honeyneuk, Maud, topped the trade at 240p with more of the same weighing 53kg from Birkenbog, Cullen, at £110. 
Suffolks from Newton of Balquhain topped the 826 cast ewes at £120. 

Dumfries
A SMALL show of six prime cattle peaked at 230p per kg for a Limousin from J Jardine, Yett, at C and D Auction Marts. 
OTM cattle (90) met plenty demand with buyers increasing greater numbers. They reached £1304 for a Charolais from Balmakethar and 172p for a Limousin from Midtown. 
The 31 beef cows averaged 138.6p as 56 dairy cows levelled at 109.3p having peaked at £1254 and 132p for a Holstein from Netherwood.
Best hoggs were scarce and wanted as 778 reached 233p for Suffolks from Rigghead and £105.50 for heavy Suffolks from West Skelston. 
A good show of 754 cast sheep included a large percentage of hill ewes. They hit £110.50 for Suffolks from Clydeside with hill types to £97.50 for Cheviots from the same home. 

Thainstone
LIMOUSIN heifers topped the sale of prime cattle at Aberdeen and Northern Marts when they peaked at 242p per kg for a 520kg heifer from Waterside of Forbes, Alford, as well as £1515.50 for another weighing 650kg from Cairncoullie, Glenkindie.
Heifers (15) cashed in to average 224p (+5.8p on the week) while seven bullocks levelled at 214.9p and sold to 225p for a 560kg Aberdeen-Angus from Waterside of Forbes, and £1460.60 for a 670kg Limousin from Tillyorn, Corse. 
A large offering of 139 beef-bred cast cows averaged 146.5p (-1.3p) and sold to 192p for a 560kg Angus from Gorn, Balfour, and £1530 for a British Blue from Lethendry, Cromdale. 
Four dairy cows averaged 102.7p (+2p) and peaked at 116.2p and £755 for a Meuse Rhine Issel from East Backburn, Netherley. 
Bulls (10) averaged 119.3p (+0.9p) and sold to 137.6p for a Limousin from Boghead of Auchindoun, Dufftown, and £1650 for a Charolais from East Lediken, Insch. 
All classes of prime hoggs (4363) met a strong demand as the sale averaged £96.05 or 212.9p (+6p) with the 2524 SQQ hoggs at 217.3p (+6.7p). They sold to 292.3p for 39kg Texels from Hallhill, Kinneff, and £115 for 43 kg Texels from Newton of Crathie, Ballater.

Stirling (Cal)
ALL classes of prime cattle upheld recent prices and more could have been sold at Caledonian Marts’ sale of 126 last week. 
They sold to 250p per kg for a Limousin heifer from Brockwoodlees, Canonbie, with heifers also hitting £1670 for a Limousin from Dalchirla, Muthill. 
Bullocks reached 248p twice for Limousins from both Brockwoodlees and Learielaw, Broxburn, as well as £1696 from South Flanders, Kippen. 
Both bullocks and heifers cashed in to average 215p while young bulls levelled at 188p and were topped by Limousins at 228p from Mains of Throsk, Stirling, and £1572 from Craighead, Torrance. 
Cast cows were dearer on the week as the 85 cast cattle peaked at 212p for a Charolais cow from A Purdon, Easterton, with the same again from JM More, Beild, hitting £1540. Beef cows averaged 138p while dairy cows averaged 124p and peaked at 151p from Messrs Patterson and Sons, Stenhouse, as well as £1200 from WA Hume and Co, Easter Clune. 
On Tuesday, the firm sold 2185 prime  hoggs, ewes and rams where the 1594 hoggs were sharper on the week, rising 4.6p, to level at 211.5p per kg. The 1100 hoggs (39-52kg) averaged 217p. 
Top price was £120 paid for a 57kg Beltex from Doune Farms, West Lundie while a pair of Beltex crosses from Ian Campbell, Meikle Seggie achieved the lead price per kg  at 257p. 
Heavy ewes (194) averaged £75.41 selling to £104.50 for a pen of Texels from J and DM cNicol, Whitecross, with the 337 export types cashing in at £50.41
Cast tups (57) averaged £77.46 selling to £130 for a Texel from WM Bell and Son, Craigend. 


Stirling (UA)
BELTEX from Harviesmailing topped United Auctions’ sale of prime hoggs when they realised £124 and 286p per kg. 
Other breeds reached £117 for Texels from Balleny and 249p for Texels from Stanley as the sale of 3307 hoggs cashed in to average 210.23p. 
Cast ewes (1762) reached £144 for Texel ewes from Cherryfield with rams to £116 for Suffolks from Southfield. 

Longtown
SCOTTISH producers topped the trade at C and D Auction Marts’ sale of 4386 prime hoggs, which met an exceptional trade with all classes dear and short of requirements. 
The sale averaged 213.5p per kg (SQQ 215.8p), with the best Beltex and Texel hoggs making between 250p and 280p selling to a top of 350p and £142 paid for Texel tup hoggs from Messrs Scott, Falla, Jedburgh, while a run of 35 hoggs from Jimmy Taylor, East Octermuthhill, peaked at 321p to average 291.3p and £120.21. 
Heavy hoggs sold dear with several pens above the £120 mark while light hoggs mostly made 210p to 220p, peaking at 259p for Beltex from the Kennedy family at Lurgan, Aberfeldy. 
Trade for the 5356 cast sheep was very dear, with the exception of lean ewes which were hard to sell, as 589 sold for £100 or more when the sale averaged £115.83. They peaked at £159 for Texels from Heatherglen, which light ewes reached £76 for Blackfaces from Nunnerie and rams hit £125 for Texels off Crawthat. 
An entry of 24 prime cattle topped at 231p for a medium weight bullock from A and WJ Taylor and Son, Dashwell Green, with heifers to 226p for a heavy Limousin from AW Fawkes and Sons, Welton. Messrs Taylor sold the top gross priced  animal at £1644.
Cast cows reached 140p for a Limousin from The Lamperts and again for an Angus from Cubbyhill. 

Darlington
CLEAN cattle numbers were up on the week at Darlington Farmers’ Auction Mart, where a Limousin heifer from MF Hall, Woodhill, topped the trade at 265p per kg. 
Heifers (108) also reached £1558 from F and JS Gargett, while bullocks (36) sold to 233p from MF Hall as well as £1688 for a British Blue from C Moralee and Sons, Blackburn. 
The 125 bulls reached 235p from both JC and P Tallentire, Carlton Grange, and AC Simpson and Sons, McNeil Farm, with the latter also selling one to £1808. 
With nearly half of the 2708 hoggs being heavyweights and more than 500 were lightweight, Swaledale or Mule, vendors were happy with the average of 208p per kg. They peaked at 255p for a single Texel hoggs from RG and G Rutter, High House, while McNeil Farm sold hoggs to £134. 
Cast sheep (620) reached £129 for a pair of Texel ewes from K and RA Speed, Little Eppleton.

Ayr
ON MONDAY, Craig Wilson sold 2854 sheep comprising of 2315 prime hoggs and 539 cast tups and ewes. 
Hoggs peaked at 237.8p per kg for a pen of 45kg Beltex from Claire Cuthbertson and James Hodge, Drummuir Farm, Dreghorn with the overall average being 206.8p (-2.1p on the week due to more Blackface hoggs forward; and +42.7p on the year.) 
Blackface hoggs hit a top of 216.3p for a pen of 40kg from R and M Dunlop and Son, Pinvalley, Barr with 846 forward averaging 200.9p.
Heavy ewes sold to £115.50 from a pen of Texels from J and E Patterson, Oxenshaw, Mauchline with the overall average levelling at £71.11 pear head. Leading the light ewes at £63.50 was a pen of Blackface ewes from Jane ML, Seaton, Knockewart, Dalry. They averaged £37.15.
Cast tups were topped at £110 for a pen of Beltex from R Swan and Co, Knockgardner, Straiton.
On Tuesday, some 160 prime and cast cattle were cashed with 13 clean heifers averaging 234.9p per kg.
Top price was 245p for a Limousin from Girvan Mains or £1461.60 for a Charolais heifer from Girvan Mains.
Cast cattle were dearer on the week with 28 beef cows averaging 135.4p and 102  dairy types at 135.4p. 
 Beef cows sold to £1210 for a Limousin from Duchra or 162.9p for a Salers from Borland.
Dairy cattle hit £1070 for a Friesian from West Cairngarroch and Boclair or 152.9p for a Friesian from West Cairngarroch.
 
St Boswells
PRIME cattle were similar on the week, while prime hoggs were slightly sharper at Harrison and Hetherington’s weekly sale at St Boswells on Monday, which saw 70 clean cattle, 53 cast cows and 1226 and 467 ewes forward.
Bullocks (27) averaged 219p with the 41 heifers 221p per kg, with top prices of £1453.76 from Redden and 256p per kg achieved from Penston.
The 53 cast cows averaged 141p having sold to 201p from Inland Pasture and £1700 from Kersknowe.
Beltex hoggs from Hartside topped the sheep trade at £124 and 288.4p per kg with 1226 selling to average 205.7p (+1.7p on the week).
Leading the ewe trade which average £62.62, were Texels from Tonnage Brae at £119. Heavy ewes averaged £84 and light ewes cashed in at £51.

Lanark
LAWRIE and Symington’s weekly primestock sale on Monday saw the entry of 2485 hoggs average 207.3p per kg, with a top price of 279p paid for a 39lg Beltex from R and B Dickie, Spango and £132.50 for a 54kg Texel from JB Pate, Toxside.
Cast ewes sold to £152.50 for Texels from Silvermuir who also sold the lead priced rams at £130.50.
Leading the prime cattle at 254p  per kg was a 508kg Limousin cross heifer from Brockwoodlees, Canonbie. Butchers cattle averaged 238.6p.
Cast cows and bulls peaked at £1555 for a Blonde from Messrs Taylor, Skirling Craig and 205p per kg from Messrs Wight, Midlock. 

Carlisle
A BUOYANT trade prevailed for all types of cattle at Harrison and Hetherington’s smaller sale of 40 prime steers and heifers, on Monday, which was topped at £1682.21 for a Limousin cross steer from Messrs Bowe, Bothel Parks, Wigton.
Top price per kg was 232.5p from Messrs Story, Newbiggin Farm, Carlisle for a Limousin cross.
Heifers peaked at £1436.88 and 235.5p also for Limousin crosses from M/s Story, Newbiggin Farm.     
Demand for prime hoggs was also strong with the weekly sale averaging 210p having sold to £123.80 for a pen Texel crosses from Messrs Hewson, Burgh Head Farm.
Lead price per kg was 291.60p paid for Texel crosses from Messrs Graham, Hillhead.
 
Castle Douglas
ALL classes were slightly sharper on the week at Wallets Marts’ sale of 1480 prime and cast sheep on Tuesday where 1232 hoggs averaged 211.21p (SQQ 211.84p).  
Top price was £119 and 284.6p per kg for 42kg Beltex from Messrs McConnell, Gass, Glenluce.  
Cast sheep peaked at £133 for Texel rams from the Grange, with ewes to £103 for Texels from West Barmoffity.

Dingwall
JUST nine prime cattle were forward for Dingwall and Highland Marts’ sale on Tuesday which sold to 231.0p per kg for a 570kg Limousin cross heifer from Mountgerald, Dingwall and £1358.90 for a 635kg Limousin cross bullock from Bridgend, Dingwall.
The entry of 1673 old  season lambs averaged 216.8p (+4.5p on the week) and sold to 269.8p per kg and £116 gross for a pen of 43kg Beltex crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge.
SQQ 36.5kg to 45.5kg (1,373) averaged 220.4p (+5.1p) per kg.
Feeding sheep (102) sold to £118 gross for a Texel cross ewe from Ardnagrask, Muir of Ord.

Wigton
A GOOD show of meated cattle met a strong demand at Hopes Auction Mart’s weekly primestock sale at Wigton on Tuesday, selling to 239.5p per kg for a 654kg British Blue heifer from DA Harrison, Hill House. 
Bullocks peaked at 225.5p for a 620kg Limousin from Messrs Gray, East Mill, with a top gross price of £1611 being paid to an entry from RE Miller, Allerby 
Young bulls sold to 220p on two occasions from Messrs Taylor and Gill, Fell End, and to £1566 from Messrs Dixon, The Thwaites.
A flying trade for prime  hoggs saw the entry of 1387 average 245.42p per kg with an SQQ of 251.97p
All classes of sheep were a good trade peaking at £144 per head for a Beltex lamb from M Bindloss and Son, Shap Abbey. Top price per kg was 346.20p for a pair of Beltex from R J Slade, Orchard Bungalow.
Messrs Hall, Inglewood Edge, sold 46 Beltex hoggs with an average weight of 38.2kg at 314.49p per kg or £120.26 per head.
A bigger show of cast ewes also saw another lift in returns peaking at  £135 from Messrs Chrighton.

Hexham
Due to the wintry conditions only a small show of hoggs was forward for Hexham and Northern Marts sale which saw a top price per head of £116 paid for Texel crosses from Thomas Dinnning, Watch Currock, and 251.1p per kg also for Texel crosses from JT Straughan and Son, Dalton Hill Head.