Despite the huge uncertainty surrounding the sheep industry, trade held up amazingly well at last week's Kelso Ram Sales, with overall averages slipping just £28 on last year's record-breaking event which saw overall takings break through the £3m mark for the first time.

With no guarantees flockmasters will be able to export to the continent post Brexit and future financial support likely to be hammered if Michael Gove's new agricultural bill is anything to go by, pre-sale expectations were far from optimistic.

However, by the end of the day, most consignors had enjoyed a good sale, albeit with some failing to sell their full consignment of rams.

"Prices and sales are way ahead of auctioneers and vendors expectations, when you think of the uncertainty within the industry, the long, hard winter, late spring and poor lambings, and the fact that prime lamb prices are down on the year," said Rory Bell, chairman of the Border Union Ram Sales.

"There is no doubt that auctioneers struggled to sell full runs of sheep, but then there are probably too many tups here, because there are just not the same number of ewes on farms now. It was a good day to buy with a lot of good sheep selling between £400 and £500," added Mr Bell.

Producers were also a lot more selective this year too, with only the best rams with good tight coats in particular, size, power and shape, taking the edge

Overall, 4390 rams from a catalogued entry of 5457 were cashed to average £681.52 – the fourth highest average, and one down just £4 on 2016 levels. Surprisingly, the number of rams sold was down just 64, but up 105 and 77 head on 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Clearance rates held up pretty well too with 86% able to find new homes.

Texels again topped the trade, producing the top three prices at £29,000, £16,000 and £10,000, with the sale leader being a shearling ram from the Clark family's Garngour flock from Lesmahagow, purchased by Paul Slater, Whitley Hey, who breeds large numbers of cross-bred breeding rams and females to sell.

Texels also led the ram lambs with entries at £5000 and £4600, with the best again coming from Allan Campbell's Strawfrank flock from Carstairs

It was nevertheless the Bluefaced Leicester breed that again topped the averages league at £940.19 for shearlings and £758.48 for lambs, albeit for a lot fewer sold compared to the Texel breed which now boasts almost half the entry between pedigree and unregistered entries.

With premium prices paid for double muscled prime lambs, the Beltex breed also enjoyed a flying trade, equalling it's previous best here of £4000. That price was paid for shearling from Neale and Janet McQuistin's Airyolland flock, who produced the majority of top priced rams in the Beltex ring.

A new record was also achieved for cross-bred rams at Kelso when the Ingram family, Logie Durno, Inverurie, sold two of their own Durno terminal sire breed to £3400 and £2800.

The breed, which was first produced around 10 years ago, originates from Charollais and Texel genetics with many of these offered at the family's on-farm ram sale.