Prime Sales

Some 1658 prime and cast sheep were forward for Craig Wilson's sale, where prime hoggs sold to average 226.2p.

Heavy hoggs were in demand selling to £120 for Texels from J McCulloch, Dunkeld and to 251.2p for a pen of 59 Blackies from I McFadzean, Glenvernoch.

Three pens further made £119 firstly for Lleyns from S and J Corcoran, North Drummoddie, then for Texels from Genoch Mains Farming Co, and finally for Texels from C Campbell and son, Craig Albert.

Included in the sale was the annual show and sale of Blackface wedder hoggs, where the judge, Scott Rorison, awarded his champion ticket to a pen of 47kg wedders from J Mitchell and Son, Little Larg. They later made £115 selling to the judge. Reserve wedders came from C and B McMicking, Miltonise, weighing in at 43kg and selling for £98.

Ewes saw the dearest trade selling to a top of £176 for Texels from Bridgehouse Farm, whilst tups sold to £137 for Suffolks from A McKay, Broughton Mains.

Forfar

Lawrie and Symington had forward 22 prime cattle, four cows and 424 prime sheep and cast ewes and rams at their weekly primestock sale.

Bullocks sold to a top of 235p per kg for a 609kg Limousin from Nethermyres and to £1437.50 for a 625kg Limousin again from Nethermyres, to average 229p.

Nethermyres also topped the heifers, hitting a top price of 268p and £1567.80 for a 585kg Limousin, to level out at 219p.

Prime hoggs (344) peaked at 288.1p per kg for Texels from Balcarresward and to £127 from Torrax, to cash in at 233p with an SQQ of 236.3p.

Ewes reached a top price of £132 for Beltex's from Walnut Grove while tups were topped at £120 for Texels, again from Walnut Grove.

Dumfries

C and D Auction Marts had forward 55 prime cattle, 1229 prime sheep, 234 breeding ewes and 370 cast ewes and rams.

Cows met a keen demand selling to 232p per kg for a Limousin cross heifer from J Jardine, Yett and to £1026.60 for a Fleckvieh from Slacks.

Prime hoggs remained a steady trade, peaking at £125 for Texels from Newton Bungalow, to level at 236.8p per kg.

In-lamb Mule ewes from Upper Barr, Corsock, topped the trade at £123 while the sale of cast ewes hit a top price of £187 for Texels from Newton Bungalow.

Texels also topped the cast rams at £135 from Hill.

Huntly

Some 1751 prime sheep were forward for United Auctions' primestock sale, where old season lambs (942) averaged 230.27p, selling to 258p per kg for 46kg Beltex's from Parrock, Rothiemay and to £129 for 63kg Texels from Dunscroft, Huntly.

Ewes were in high demand, with some at least £15 up on the week and an overall sale average of £98.36 being achieved.

Beltex's topped the ewes at £190 from Floors, Grange.

Stirling (UA)

United Auctions sold 4638 prime sheep comprising of 1226 ewes and rams and 3412 prime hoggs, which cashed in at 232.73p.

Old season lambs met a steady trade, peaking at £135.00 for Beltex's from Groan and to 298.00p per kg for Texels from Pannell.

Texels from Castlehill topped the ewes at £186.00 while tups hit a top price of £134.00 for Texels from Gateside.

Stirling (Cale)

More than 130 cattle comprising of 81 bullocks, heifers and young bulls and 57 OTM cattle were forward for Caledonian Marts' primestock sale.

Heifers sold to 235p per kg for a Limousin from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Muthill and to £1472 for a Limousin from J and J Wyllie, Knockhouse, Dunfermline.

Bullocks sold to a top of 228p for a Limousin from J Caldwell, Moorfield, Kilmarnock and to £1451 for a Limousin from W M Pettigrew, Faskine, Airdrie.

Topping the bulls (under 30 months) at 202p was a Limousin from W Dick, Mains of Throsk, Throsk and also to £1412 from WI and AW Callion, Bolfornought, Stirling.

OTM’s averaged 129p selling to 153p for a Limousin from W Dick, Mains of Throsk, Throsk and to £1120 for a Shorthorn from W Young and Son, Templehall, Fife.

Dairy cows peaked at 122p from GW Paterson, Barbeth, Cumbernauld and to £840 from W Waugh, North Bankhead, Avonbridge, to cash in at 114p.

Thainstone

Aberdeen and Northern Marts had forward 43 prime cattle where prime bullocks averaged 183.5p and sold to 219p per kg for a 550kg Limousin from Newton of Drum, Drumoak and to £1264.20 for a 645kg Limousin also from Newton of Drum.

Prime heifers cashed in at 198.5p and hit a top price of 219p per kg for a 585kg Limousin from

Ladymill, Alford and also to £1339.80 for a 660kg Charolais again from Ladymill.

Young bulls topped at 167p per kg for a 625kg Aberdeen from Eastabist, Dounby and a 640kg Aberdeen-Angus from The Haugh, Ballindalloch or to £1162.50 for a 750kg Aberdeen-Angus from Newton of Struthers, Kinloss, to level at 154.9p.

In the 30-48 bullock section, a 700kg Aberdeen-Angus from Sootywells, Fordoun topped the pence per kilo at 177p per kg and to £1351.50 for a 850kg Charolais from Nether Mains, Torphins, to average 166.2p.

Heifers balanced out at 151.7p and sold to 163p per kg for a 750kg Simmental from Harestone, Crathes, and to £1286.50 for a 830kg Simmental from Greenfold, Bridge of Marnoch.

On the same day some 3721 prime sheep and feeding ewes and rams were forward, where old season lambs cashed in at 233.1p with an SQQ of 238.2p. Topping at 305p were 40kg Beltex’s and £145 for 51kg Beltex’s both from Woolhillock, Skene.

Feeding ewes and rams peaked at £191.50 for Beltex ewes from Woolhillock, Skene.

Longtown

Trade was similar on the week at C and D Auction Marts' weekly primestock sale comprising of 3237 prime hoggs, 3413 cast ewes and rams and 16 cast cows.

Another increased entry of cast cows were forward with the sale topping at 131p and £949 for Black and Whites from High Knockrioch, Campbeltown.

Prime hoggs attracted buyers, achieving an overall average of 241.1p with an SQQ of 243.9p.

The best export hoggs sold to a top of 347p for Beltex hoggs from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Creiff.

Heavy hoggs met the best trade, selling to a top of £154 for Texel hoggs from R Simpson, Kirkhouse, Peebles whilst Blackies sold to 259p from Killipol and Cheviots hoggs to 257p from Kirkton and Skelfhill.

The cast ewes and rams topped at £200 for Texel ewes from A Atkinson, Croft House, Harrogate, while hill ewes sold to £107 for Blackface ewes from H and M Connell, Minsca, Waterbeck.

More than 220 rams sold well and to £150 for Beltex from S Stoddart, Hillside, Wigton.

St Boswells

Averages were down on the corresponding week at Harrison and Hetherington's sale of prime stock, where bullocks and heifers levelled at 204.6p and 215.8p respectively.

Cast cows (50) hit a top of £1267.90 from Upper Nisbet and to 173p from Stichill Home Farm, whilst clean cattle (62) peaked at £1364.08 and 236p from Bee Edge.

The entry of 1366 prime hoggs met a better trade, selling to £143 for Texels from Butterdean and to 344.6p for Beltex's from Threeburnford, to level at 234.5p (+4.5p on the week).

Top price of the day in the ewes was £163 for Suffolks, to average £92 while tups were topped at £133 for Texels from Lylestane.

Lanark

Some 164 cattle were sold at Lawrie and Symington's primestock sale where prime cattle sold to 240p for a Limousin heifer from Todhall Farm, Cupar, with bullocks to 228p for a Limousin from Greenshields Farm, Carnwath.

Greenshields also produced the top priced lots per head with bullocks to £1614 and heifers to £1540.

Young bulls (4) sold to 190p from West Glespin, with cast bulls peaking at £1470 from Little Kype.

A Limousin cow topped the beef price per head selling to £1525 from Greenshields Farm, Carnwath or to 165p from Over Hillhouse.

Dairy types hit a top price of £1000 for Friesian cows from Broadfield Farming, Symington and to 119p from Harvieston.

Calves and stirks met a steady trade with stirks topping at £560 for an Aberdeen Angus bullock from East Mains, whilst calves peaked at £315 for a British Blue bull from Langholm.

Prime hoggs topped at £144 for Texels from M Griffies, Cairngryffe and to 320p for Texels from Gibb, Rusha, to average at 240p with an SQQ of 246p.

Cast ewes and rams saw the dearest trade of the season so far, selling to a top of £198 for Texels from M Griffies, Cairngryffe and tups to £140 for Bluefaced Leicesters from Sweetshawhead.

Carlisle

A larger entry of 120 prime bulls were forward for Harrison and Hetherington's sale, where a British Blue from Messrs MN Jewitt, Gracies Farm, Barnard Castle topped the trade at £1797.03 and 243.50p.

Cast cows and OTM's (306) sold to £1391 for a Charolais cow from Lower Langshaw Farm and to 170.50p fora Limousin from Ridley Farm.

Prime cattle (58) met keen demand with Messrs Bowe, Bothel Park topping the trade at 224.5p and £1825 for a British Blonde cross steer, while heifers were topped at £1441 for a 666kg Limousin cross from Petteril Hill Farm and to 229.5p for another Limousin cross heifer this time from High Aketon.

Prime hoggs peaked at £151 for a pair of heavy hoggs from Basco Dyke, Penrith and to 311.7ppk for Beltex from Hollands, Penton.

Hill hoggs sold to £118.80 for a pen of Cheviots from Micklethwaite Farm, Wigton and to 247.4p again for Cheviots from Castlehill, Lockerbie.

Cast ewes averaged £100.50, topping at £187.50 for a Texel ewe from Messrs Brough, The Croft, with Suffolk ewes from the same home also making £182.50 and Mules to £137.50 from Messrs Beaty, Stonewalls.

Rams peaked at £144.50 for a Texel from Messrs Toppin, Basco Dyke, and a Leicester ram to £143.50, to level at £126.

Ayr

Some 2096 prime and cast sheep were forward for at Craig Wilson's sale, where hoggs met the dearest trade, averaging £101.02 with an SQQ of 235.8p being achieved.

Topping at £128 was Texels from Knockgerran or to 257.5p per kg for Beltex off Lyonston.

Cast ewes were sharper on the week, peaking at £137 for Texels from Fowler, while tups topped at £128 for Suffolks from Harpercroft.

Heifers topped the prime and cast cattle (145) selling to 234p for a Charolais off North Boig or to £1356.60 for a Limousin off Borland.

Dingwall

Averages were down on the week at Dingwall and Highland Marts where bullocks averaged 188.7p (-15.1p) selling to 197.0p for a 680kg Limousin cross or to £1350.00 for a 750kg Limousin cross both from Ashley, North Kessock.

Heifers cashed in at 201.5p (-1.6p) and sold to 205.0p and £1271.00 for a 620kg Limousin cross from Ashley, North Kessock.

Old season lambs (1333) peaked at a price of 295.3p and £127 for a pen of 43kg Beltex crosses from Badrain, Culbokie, to average 248.0p (+7.3p) with an SQQ of 252.7p.

Feeding sheep made £160 twice for a Bleu de Maine ewe from Tighnahinch, Conon Bridge and for a Cheviot ram from Wester Dunnet, Thurso.

Castle Douglas

Wallets Marts had forward 2350 prime and cast sheep where the whole sale averaged 237.8, with an SQQ of 238.5 being achieved.

Prime hoggs were in high demand topping at £133 for Beltex hoggs from Carswalloch, Creetown who also topped the pence per kg at 307.3p for a pen of export weight Beltex hoggs.

Blackface hoggs sold to average 234.27, peaking at £116 for tup hoggs from Messrs Burns, Craignell, with top pence per kilo being 252.6 for a pen of 36 export hoggs from Knockreoch, Dalry.

Cast sheep hit a top price of £181 for four Beltex ewes from Carswalloch, whilst Blackface ewes broke the £100 barrier for the first time recent years at Castle Douglas, selling to £103 from Ardoch, Dalry.

Mules sold to £116.50 twice, first from Cotland and then again from Torrs.