Monday saw the birth of a new era at Dumfries Auction market with the return of a show and sale of all classes of pigs which was well supported by farmers and those in the meat trade, alike.
New butcher and commercial buyers made their presence felt from the outset for meat pigs and more younger stock could have been sold to farmers looking to buy quality breeding females.
The show champion, a bacon gilt from the SRUC Edinburgh topped the trade at £140.00 with cast sows and boars not far behind.
Auctioneer Robert Weir said there was a keen demand leading up to Christmas for sausage meat and that coupled with the near destruction of the industry in China following the loss of 14m pigs due to African Swine Fever, is being felt right across the sector.
Porkers and cutters sold well with weaners to £80, light porkers to £85, growers to £45, cutters to £100, baconers to £120, sows to £140 and boars to £110, per head.
Such was the success, that pig shows and sales at Dumfries are set to be staged on a monthly basis at C and D Auction Mart's Dumfries Centre, with the next event scheduled for Monday, February 10.
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