MORE than £110,000 changed hands at the Douglas family's annual on-farm sale of Hereford bulls from the Ervie herd from Mains of Airies, in the Rhins of Galloway, where a good mix of new and repeat customers saw bulls sell from £1800 to £7000 per head.

Sale leader was Ervie Advance 172213 which sold to new pedigree breeders, Ian and Sian Houston, Newton Stewart. This big, lengthy bull sported a well-balanced set of figures including a terminal index of +33 and maternal index of +43. He is sired by Ervie L1 Achiever 91151H and out of a top Tribute cow.

Ervie Advance 172314, one of the many favourites, with the top weights at both 200 and 400 days, sold at £5200 to E Lewis, buying for his pedigree Salbri herd from Anglesey. His purchase is by Ervie L1 Achiever 91151H and bred from the Libby family.

Two lots later, commercial breeders Messrs Hutton from Castle Douglas went to £4500 for another 1151 son, Advance 172300, this time from the Gypsy family. Dark-coloured this bull boasted a great figures for calving-ease and growth with a terminal Index of +34 and maternal index of +42.

Four lots later, Ervie Advance 172216 sold to repeat buyer Iain Wilkinson, Balgay, Inchture, Perth at £3400 for both pedigree and commercial use. Sired by Ervie L1 Achiever 131636 and from the Peach family, he had a birth weight of 38kg and was one of the largest and heaviest bulls in the sale. He is heading out to work mainly on daughters of Ervie Advance 141836, bought for £7200 at the 2016 sale.

The first bull in the ring, Ervie L1 Achiever 172218, realised £3000 to Ardlamont Estate, Argyll for pedigree use. This dark bull had a 38kg birthweight, has a straight Line One pedigree and descends from one of the first embryo flushes imported to Ervie in 2005.

Repeat buyer Mark Ogg, from Montrose also went to £3000 for Ervie Advance 172234. Sired by Ervie L1 Achiever 141753 and out of a Tribute cow, he goes to work alongside two previous Ervie purchases on a large, predominately Simmental commercial beef unit in Angus.

Volume buyers included A and M Smith, Brampton who bought eight bulls for an average of £2000. High Mark Farming, Stranraer secured eight bulls at an average of £1962 and Dourie Farming Co, Port William, Newton Stewart, purchased 10 bulls at an average of £1800.

Average: 48 bulls, £2302

Auctioneers: Dumfries Auction Mart