Prime sales

On Monday, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly primestock sale of cattle and sheep where bullocks and heifers levelled at 216p and 218p respectively.

Heifers led the way at 238p for Bee Edge, whilst bullocks peaked at 234p from Penston.

Some 1108 hoggs levelled at 209.6p (+2.3p on the week) having sold to 256.4p for Beltex from Crookston, whilst the 719 ewes averaged £85.83 peaking at £145 for Texels from Fairnilee.

Carlisle

A larger entry of 60 prime steers and heifers were forward for Harrison and Hetherington’s weekly sale which again attained a strong trade throughout.

Top price was achieved by a Limousin cross steer from Messrs Bowe, Bothel Parks, Wigton, selling at £1648.65 and 217.5p per kg.

Messrs Crichton, Loughrigg, Egremont, topped the heifers at £1643.12 with a Limousin cross, whilst a British Blue from Messrs Twentyman, Osborne, Wigton, sold for the top price per kg at 230.5p.

A smaller show of hoggs saw a stronger trade selling to £125.80 for a pen of heavy Texel hoggs from Messrs Illingworth, Howgillside, Lockerbie.

Top per kg was 302.6p for Beltex cross hoggs from AG Dempster, Castlehill, Lockerbie.

Lanark

Messrs Dickinson, Brockwoodlees triumphed at Lawrie and Symington’s sale of 117 prime cattle comprising of 42 prime bullocks and heifers and six young bulls on Monday, where they sold the top priced heifers at 248p per kg on four occasions.

Bullocks sold to 218p from Messrs Baillie, Calla, Carnwath.

Trade remained strong for the 2440 hoggs and 1609 cast ewes where trade peaked at £116 for Texels from R Struthers, Collielaw, and 279p per kg for Beltex from Taylor, Southholm.

An overall average of 208.5p was achieved alongside an SQQ of 211.3p.

Ayr

A Limousin heifer from North Boig topped Craig Wilson’s prime cattle sale on Tuesday at 248p and £1401.20, with heifers levelling at 224.2p.

The same breed also led the bullock trade at 230p and £1288 from Carskerdo.

The previous day, the firm sold 1864 prime sheep comprising of 1407 hoggs and 463 cast ewes and tups, where more could have been sold to advantage. Prime hoggs levelled at 205.6p with an SQQ of 209.9p.

Top price was £110 paid on two separate occasions, firstly for Beltex from J Cowan, Brickrow, and then again for Texels from Messrs W Stevenson, Drumsuie.

Top price per kg was 238.6p paid for a pen of Beltex hoggs from Kilkerran Estate.

Forfar

Limousins topped all sections at Lawrie and Symington’s sale of 26 prime cattle and 1104 prime sheep and cast ewes and rams.

Bullocks (7) sold to 226p for a 616kg entry from the Gask and to £1397.25 for a 621kg stot from Nethermyres, to average 211p.

West Bog led the heifers with the same breed selling at £1456.32 and 246p on four occasions.

Nethermyres also sold heifers at 246p on two occasions along with another selling at the same price from Gask. Heifers averaged 227p.

The entry of 1000 prime old season lambs met a buoyant trade peaking at 267.4p from Mains of Dalrulzion and to £125 per head from Easter Balgillo to average 209.5p per kg with an SQQ of 213.6p.

Wooler

A similar trade on the week was seen at Harrison and Hetherington’s weekly sale of primestock where hoggs sold to £106 per head for Texels from East Newburn.

Texels from Edlingham Newtown, led the ewe trade at £147.

Cockermouth

Mitchells Livestock Centre, held their weekly sale of primestock with an entry of 55 head comprising 28 cull cattle, 15 bulls and 12 clean cattle, along with 1913 prime sheep to include 1567 hoggs and 346 cast ewes and rams.

A Charolais heifer from TB Stamper and Sons, Rose Farm, topped the trade per kg at 200.5p.

Lead price per head was £1279.81 paid for a dairy bred Limousin heifer from Messrs Bowe, Hunday.

Prime hoggs met the dearest trade of the season producing an SQQ of 217p.

Top price of £135 was paid for Beltex hoggs from Messrs Richardson, Low Garth, and 300p for more of the same breed from I Powley, Green Marsh.

Stirling (Cale)

Some 167 prime cattle were forward for Caledonian Marts weekly sale, where a top prices of 245p and £1520 were achieved for a Limousin from W Dandie and Son, Learielaw, Broxburn, and a similarly bred entry from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Muthill, respectively.

The sale of 89 bullocks, heifers and young bulls, 63 OTM cattle saw the 15 calves sell to £290 for a three-month-old British Blue bull from Roseneath Farms.

A similar trade to previous week was met among the 1251 hoggs which achieved an overall average of 202.3p (-1.1p on the week).

Top price per kg was 260p from RA Campbell, Meikle Seggie for a 40kg Beltex. Lead price per head was £119 paid for a 50kg Beltex from Doune Farms, West Lundie.

Stirling UA

Texel ewes were in demand at United Auctions sale of 5100 prime sheep peaking at £168 for West Carse.

Some 4082 prime hoggs levelled at 200.21p and sold to £128 and 289p for Beltex from Luckenburn.

Suffolk crosses led the way among the tups selling to £116 from Shepherds Cottage.

Longtown

Averages were up 5p per kg on the week, to level at 213.1p at C and D Auction Marts’ sale of 4602 prime hoggs.

Beltex hoggs topped the trade selling to 316p for TA Jefferson, Aspatria Hall and to £129 from Mains of Balhall, Aspatria Hall, Peartree Cottage and Stonehouse

The 3108 cast ewes and rams peaked at £191 for Texel ewes from Wanton Walls, Lauder while hill ewes peaked at £92 for Cheviots from Crossdykes, Lockerbie.

Rams sold to £136 for Texels from Fearn Farm, Inverness.

Dingwall

SOME 26 head of prime cattle forward at Dingwall and Highland Marts’ sale saw bullocks and heifers average 186.7p and 194.2p respectively.

Bullocks sold to 205.0p for a 560kg Limousin cross from Kindeace, Alness, and £1367.10 for a 735kg Aberdeen-Angus cross from Easter Sheep Park, Balblair.

A 620kg Limousin cross from Bridgend, topped the heifers at 204p, whilst a Charolais cross from Kindeace made £1322.40.

Also forward were 1459 prime sheep where old season lambs levelled at 203.3p (-2.8p on the week) having been topped at 223.5p for Beltex crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge and £100.50 for Texel crosses from Leanach, Inverness.

Castle Douglas

On Tuesday, Wallets Marts had forward 2025 prime and cast sheep, where 1599 prime hoggs sold to average 207.6p with an SQQ of 211.2p achieved.

Top price of £110 was paid for a Beltex hogg from Messrs Craig, Compstonend, Twynholm, while best per kg was 269.2p for similarly bred entries from Messrs Campbell, Carsewalloch, Creetown.

Wigton

A strong show of cattle forward at Hope’s Auctioneers sale of 22 head saw a Limousin heifer from Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall, lead the way at 225.5p per kg.

Limousin bullocks from GN Bowe, Bothel Parks sold for the top price per head of £1639.

Trade continued to rise amongst the 1022 hoggs, which sold to 338p per kg for Beltex hoggs from GE Rudd, Jenkin Cross

Top per head was £135 for more of the same from S and D Peile, Parkgate Hall.

Thainstone

A small offering of prime cattle forward at Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ weekly sale saw bullocks average 182p per kg and heifers at 201p.

Top prices amongst the bullocks were 191p for a 590kg Limousin from Tillenturk, Torphins, and £1323 for a 700kg Limousin from New Mains, Glenkindie.

Limousins topped the heifers selling to 227p and £1350.65 from Cairncoullie, Glenkindie, and 227p again for a 550kg Limousin from Mains of Kildrummy, Kildrummy.

The firm also sold 3215 prime sheep and feeding ewes and rams, with old season lambs levelling at 201.1p (+5.1p).

Old season lambs sold to 242.9p from Fawside, Kinneff, and £110 twice, for Texels from Milton of Durris, Durris, and again from Ardfork, Oldmeldrum.

Newton Stewart

All classes were in demand at Craig Wilson’s sale of 1334 prime and cast sheep, where prime hoggs averaged 208.8p.

Hoggs sold to £105 for Texels from A and J Wright, Pinmore Mains and 235p for Beltex from S MacTier, Boghouse.

Ewes peaked at £118 for Suffolks from B Vance, Mid Skeog, whilst tups sold to £101 for Texels from E Scott, Mains of Park.

Penrith

A fast trade at Penrith and District Farmers sale of 4219 prime sheep, resulted in an SQQ of 213p per kg.

Top price was 287p paid for 38kg Texel cross hoggs from WH Brass, Low Row.

Ewe sold to £176 for Texels from Holme House, to average £91.22 and rams sold to £133 from The Farm.