Prime sales

Some 1036 prime and cast sheep were forward for Craig Wilson's primestock sale, where hoggs sold much dearer on the week to average 234.5p.

Beltex topped the trade at £130 twice, firstly from Messrs Milroy, Mains of Machermore and then from J Wright, Pinmore Mains, with the same pen from Mains of Machermore also topping per kilo at 260p.

Blackface hoggs averaged 234.1p, peaking at £115 for a pen from Lagafater Farms, Barnvannoch and to 244.1p for a pen of 60 from the same home.

Cast sheep hit a top of £148 for a pair of Texels from KT Lochhead, St Ninnians with tups selling to £147 from Bridgehouse Farming Co.

Forfar

Lawrie and Symington had forward 37 prime cattle and 529 prime sheep and cast ewes and rams, where bullocks sold to a top of 228p per kg for a 521kg Blonde Aquitaine from Chapel of Barras and to £1406.10 for a 645kg Limousin from Nethermyres, to average 219p.

A 580kg Limousin from the Gask dominated the heifers selling to a top of 245p per kg and £1421, to level at 221p.

Prime hoggs met the dearest trade of the season so far, selling to 320p for Beltex from Balbrydie and to £132 for Beltex from Newbarns, to cash in at 249.7p with an SQQ of 244.8p (+11.9p).

Cast ewes peaked at £164 for Texels from Mains of Dalrulzion.

Dumfries

Trade was similar on the week at C and D Auction Marts' primestock sale, where prime cattle sold to 234p per kg from J Jardine, Yett, while OTM's (42) peaked at £1052.10 for a Simmental from Tregallon or to 158p for a Shorthorn bull from Gall.

Prime hoggs (931) were in demand, topping at £125 for 46+kg Texels from Courthill, to level at 249.7p per kg.

Cast ewes and rams hit a record for Texel ewes, selling to £205 from Riggheads, while rams peaked at £145 again from Texels this time from Hill.

Huntly

United Auctions sold 2957 prime sheep, where old season lambs (2056) averaged 238.32p per kg selling to 271p for Charolais crosses from Corskie, Garmouth and to £132 for 60kg Beltex from Sheep Park, Bridge of Marnoch.

Ewes met a buoyant trade, with prices hitting reaching a top of £196 for Texels from Dunscroft, Huntly.

Stirling (Cale)

Some 180 prime cattle were forward at Caledonian Marts' sale where prime heifers sold to 238p for a Limousin from W Dandie, Learielaw and to £1517 for a Limousin from D Dickinson, Brockwoodlees.

Bullocks peaked at 235p for a Limousin from D Dickinson, Brockwoodlees and to £1665 for a British Blue from Ferguson Bros, Gillandersland.

Bulls (under 30 months) sold to £1402 from D and L Graham, Mains of Burnbank, Stirling and OTM’s topped at 182p for a British Blue from A Pettigrew, Faskine or to £1210 for a Limousin from A Galbraith, Upper Kinniel, to average 136p per kg.

Dairy cows averaged 102p selling to 132p from J and G P McConnell, Hoodsyard and to £850 from T Greer and Sons, Wharlawhill, Fossoway.

Cast males made 169p from T and E Tod, Nether Longford and £1170 from B McMillan, Eorabus, Islay.

Top price in the calves and stirks went to Angus Hamilton, Mid Forrest, Cumbernauld for Holstein Fresian Bullocks at £220.

Also forward were 2115 prime hoggets, ewes and tups , where the overall average for 1476 hoggets was 240p (+9.5p on the week), with the biggest rise on the week being for 39-45.5kg hoggets averaging at £107.19 (+£7.38).

Top price of the day went to Doune Farms, West Lundie at £136 for a 61kg Beltex and to 318p per kg for a pen of 40kg Beltex from J M McDonald, Newbigging.

A consignment sale of 52 Beltex lambs levelled at £116.87 or 286.4p from J M McDonald, Newbigging, Crieff.

Heavy ewes cashed in at £114.16 and sold to £152 for three Suffolks from J M Loughray, Arnbeg, Kippen, while export ewes balanced out at £72.17 selling to £94 for Blackies from Duncan MacGregor, Burnhead, Kilsyth.

Cast rams made £140 for Bluefaced Leicesters from J M Cullens, Dollarbank, Dollar.

Stirling (UA)

United Auctions sold 5742 prime sheep comprising of 1121 ewes and rams and 4621 prime hoggs, which averaged 236.45p per kg.

Incorporating 300 Cheviot hoggs in the North Country Cheviot Sheep Society show and sale, judged by Jim Holden of Woodhead Bros, the champion pen came from A Jack, Cranshaws, later realising £110 and 256.00p selling to the judge.

The reserve rosette went to Messrs MacRae, Coulshill, selling to £125 and 230.00p.

Beltex dominated in the old season lambs, peaking at £137 from West Park and to 306.00p from Strageath Hall.

Ewes met a steady trade topping at £159 for Texel crosses from Milnbank, while tups hit a top price of

£160 for Bluefaced Leicesters from Coulshill.

Thainstone

Over 60 prime cattle were forward for Aberdeen and Northern Marts' weekly primestock sale, where prime bullocks averaged 185.3p (+1.8p) and sold to 215p per kg for a 560kg Limousin from Whiteside, Tullynessle and to £1328.25 for an 825kg Aberdeen Angus from Drums, Newburgh.

Prime heifers cashed in at 197p (-1.5p on the week) selling to 230p per kg and £1380 for a 600kg Limousin from Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud, while young bulls peaked at 189p and £1606.50 for an 850kg Charolais from Mormond Prop, New Pitsligo, to level at 152.6p (+2.3p).

Heifers balanced out at 159p (+7.3p) topping at 181p for a 660kg Limousin from Hillside, Fetternear, and to £1231.65 for a 765kg Limousin from Whiteside.

Some 5247 prime sheep and feeding ewes and rams were also sold on the day, with old season lambs cashing in at 238p (+4.9p on the week) selling to 640p for 50kg Beltex’s from Woolhillock, Skene and £320 (twice), firstly for 50kg Beltex’s and

for 52kg Beltex’s, both from Woolhillock, Skene, to achieve an SQQ of 243.1p (+4.9p).

Feeding ewes and rams made £201for Beltex ewes from Upper Tullochbeg, Huntly.

Alongside the prime sale was the annual show and sale of Beltex and Beltex cross prime lambs, judged by Richard Stuart, Scotbeef.

The champion pair of lambs was awarded to J Young, Muirton, Corse for a pair of 44kg lambs realising £132 per head and 300p per kg, with the reserve rosette going to S Wood, Woolhillock, Skene for a pair of 50kg lambs selling to £320 and 640p.

St Boswells

Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly primestock sale of cattle and sheep, where 65 clean cattle, 56 cast cows, 1845 hoggs and 643 ewes were forward, with bullocks averaging 210.62p and selling to 235p (+6p on the week) and heifers levelling at 213.8p per kg, topping at 238p (-2p on the week).

Cast cattle balanced out at 136p per kg and sold to 191p from Inland Pasture and to £1227.52 from Muircleugh.

Hoggs were in high demand, averaging 242p (+8p on the week) selling to £158 for Texels from Roxburgh Mill and 309p for Beltex's from Waterside while ewes cashed in at £76 and sold to £180 for Texels from Traprain.

Lanark

Some 121 prime cattle were forward at Lawrie and Symington's sale, comprising of 47 bullocks and heifers, 5 young bulls and 69 cast cows.

Limousin heifers sold to 246p from Brockwoodlees Farm, Canonbie and to £1567 from Greenshields Farm, Carnwath, while Limousin bullocks topped at 230p and to £1527 Greenshields Farm, Carnwath.

Young bulls peaked at 208p from West Glespin, with cast bulls making £1130 from Anston.

Lim cows sold to 156p from Greenshields Farm, Carnwath while Friesians topped at £955 from Netherholm Farm, Strathaven.

Beef cattle met a steady trade, with prices peaking at £1175 and 156p from Greenshields.

The sale of hoggs topped at £140 for Beltex from Meikle, Newhouse and to 318p for Beltex from Clark, Wellhead, to achieve an overall average of 244p per kg with an SQQ of 246p.

Cast ewes and rams saw trade again very dear selling to a top of £195 for Texels from Warnock, Sandilands and to £88 for Blackies from Clark, Wellhead, while tups topped at £178 from Robiesland.

Carlisle

Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of primestock, where prime bulls (95) sold to a top of £1886.85 for Limousins from Messrs J Logan, Humebyres, Kelso and to 225.5p for a Limousin this time from Messrs GL Hutton, Setmabanning Farm, Keswick.

Two British Blue cattle topped the cast cows, both from Messrs Blake, Halfway Well selling to £1949 and to 188.5p per kg.

In the dairy section a Holstein Friesian from Messrs Gott, Prospect House, Cockermouth sold to £1195.47 and Messrs AS and CE Coulthard, Justicetown sold a Holstein Friesian to a top of 187.5p.

Cast bulls were topped by Messrs Gaitskell, High Field with his 1031kg Aberdeen Angus bull, selling to £1211 while pence per kg was topped by Messrs Brown and Co, Little Culmain Farm for a Limousin bull at 138.5p.

An entry of 72 prime steers and heifers were forward, achieving a top of £1638.91for a Limousin cross steer from Messrs Studholme, Nealhouse, Carlisle, with Messrs Story, Newbiggin Farm, Carlisle topping pence per kg at 224.5p for a Limousin cross.

Heifers peaked at £1413.58 for a Limousin cross from Messrs Pearson, High Plasket Lands, Maryport and to 229.5p to Messrs Story, Newbiggin, Carlisle.

A smaller show of 1469 hoggs saw a rise of 9p on the week to average 244p, with an SQQ of 249p. The sale topped at £143.80 twice for Texel hoggs from Messrs Robinson, Burtholme and Messrs Bell, New Hall.

Cast ewes and rams sold to a top of £215 for a pair of Texels from Messrs Holliday, New Bampton, Carlisle, to average at £120.30, while tups made £171.50 for Bluefaced Leicesters from Messrs Ogden, Pears Gill.

Ayr

A total of 2454 sheep comprising 2020 prime hoggets and 434 cast ewes and tups were forward for Craig Wilson's primestock sale, where hoggets met a flying trade selling to a top of £140 for a Texel off Messrs William Stevenson and Son, Auchenflower and to 288.6p for a pen of seven Beltex’s off Messrs James Shennan and Sons, Knockgerran, to achieve an overall average of 239.4p with an SQQ of 243.3p.

A top price of £192 was paid for Texel ewes from J Kerr, Cundry Mains, while cast tups sold to £158 for Texels from Daljedburgh.

Prime cattle (11) averaged 217.3p peaking at 241p for a Limousin cross from the Smith Family, North Boig.

Cast bulls peaked at £1360 for a Limousin from W Turner, Dalmoak and to 170.6p for a British Blue cross from Messrs Paterson, Upper Auchenlay.

A Limousin from the Nelson Brothers at High Kilphin topped the beef cows at £1340, while dairy types sold to £1000 for a Right Fed Friesian from Eugene McErlean, Macnairston and to 139.3p from Messrs Watt, Bowes.

Dingwall

The sale of 19 prime cattle and 1207 prime sheep was held at Dingwall and Highland Marts' weekly primestock sale, where prime bullocks averaged 196.2p (+7.5p) and sold to 212.0p per kg for a 600kg Aberdeen Angus from Braelangwell, Balblair or to £1282.50 for a 675kg Limousin cross from Easter Sheeppark, Balblair.

Prime heifers levelled at 203.5p (+2.0p) peaking at 214.0p for a 570kg Blonde D’Aquitane cross from Braelangwell and to £1287.50 for a 625kg Limousin cross from Bridgend Farm, Dingwall.

Old season lambs were in demand and balanced out at 236.9p (-11.1p), selling to 265.1p and £114 for a pair of 43kg Beltex crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge, to achieve an SQQ of 241.6p (-11.1p).

Feeding sheep made £150 twice for Texel cross ewes from Easter Dalziel Farm, Dalcross and for a Texel ram from Bayhead, Munlochy.

Castle Douglas

Wallets Marts had forward 1870 prime and cast sheep, where 1528 prime hoggs sold to average 241.3p with an SQQ of 242p.

Export weight and heavy hoggs were sharper on the week and topped at £140 for Texel hoggs from Denty Texels, Castle Douglas and to 305.3 for Beltex from Messrs Hird, Whitecroft, Dalbeattie.

Blackface hoggs peaked at 258.8p for a pen from Barlure Farmers, New Luce, who also topped per head at £114, to level at 250.22p.

A Texel ewe from Denty Texel fetched £200, selling to a new centre record in the cast ewe sale.

Mules sold to £122.50 from High Glasnick with Blackface selling to £106.50 from Drumbreddan.