Prime sales

Limousins were in demand, dominating all sections among the 31 prime cattle at Lawrie and Symington’s sale.

Bullocks (13) peaked at 2.32p per kg for a 569kg from Gask, and to £1414.04 for a 667kg beast from Nethermyres, to average 1.95p.

Limousins from Nethermyres also topped the 18 heifers at 2.60p and £1440.40 for a 554kg animal, to level at 2.22p.

Stirling (Cale)

A joint top price of 240p per kg was achieved at Caledonian Marts’ sale of 167 cattle.

Firstly for a Limousin heifer from W Dandie and Son, Learielaw, Broxburn, and again for a Limousin bullock from A Pettigrew, Faskine.

Top per head attained £1566 which was for a Charolais from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Muthill, and to £1598 for an Aberdeen-Angus from Ferguson Bros, Gillandersland, Linlithgow.

Bulls sold to 200p for a Limousin from C Dick, Taylorton, Stirling, and to £1544 from PJ and W Cameron, Woodhall, Innerwick.

On Tuesday, the firm also had 585 prime hoggs, ewes and tups forward.

The sale achieved an overall average of 165p per kg.

Top price of the day went to a 57kg Beltex from Doune Farms, West Lundie, selling at £112, and top price for pence per kg was 218p for more Beltex weighing in at 44kg from H Lawrie, Garden House, Wellfield.

Stirling UA

Beltex from Ballechin, topped the old season lambs at £123 and 271p per kg at United Auctions’ sale of 1425 prime sheep.

Ewe (397) trade peaked at £127 for Suffolk from Newton of Collessie, with Texels not far behind at £110 from Low Tirfergus.

Among the tups it was a Charollais that topped the trade at £90 from Forter.

Thainstone

Aberdeen and Northern Marts had 35 prime cattle forward, where heifers averaged 197.7p (-0.8p).

Limousins from Braeside, topped both sections among the bullocks at 195p per kg and £1324.60.

Heifers peaked at 229p for a 600kg Limousin from Newton, Strichen, and to £1417.50 for a 630kg British Blue from Old Manse Farm, Glass.

Young bulls sold to 185p and £1322.75 for a 715kg Limousin from Tarmair, Boyndlie.

A smaller show of prime sheep were forward due to the current circumstances, a reduced trade was met for the 935 prime sheep.

Old season lambs (638) averaged 164.5p per kg and sold to 200p for 43kg Beltex from Smiddyburn Cottage, Rothienorman, and to £87 for 48kg Texels from Kirkland, Forgue.

A smaller show of cast cows and bulls met their dearest trade of recent times with cast bulls, selling to £1550 and cows topping at £1325.

Beef cows (76) averaged 140.4p per kg (+8.0p, on the week) and sold to 192.5p per kg for a 600kg Lincoln Reid from Hillside, Dufftown, and £1325 for a 835kg Limousin from Pitcalzean, Nigg.

Seven bulls managed to level at 133.9p, which was up 9.4p on the week. The bull trade peaked at 152p per kg for a 980kg Simmental from Connachie, Kellas, and £1550 for a 1250kg Limousin from Mains of Arnage, Ellon.

Longtown

A quieter sale at C and D Auction Marts’ still saw 864 sheep sold comprising of 623 prime hoggs and 241 cast ewes and rams,.

That did not stop the trade, selling to attain an average of 176.0p and an SQQ of 183.6p.

Topping the sale at 261p per kg and £108 were Beltex hoggs from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Perth.

Texel ewes sold to £124 from C Ryrie, East Kirk, Caithness, whilst rams peaked at £92 for Suffolk from J and M Simpson, Pentland View, Caithness.

A small entry of cast cows peaked at 110p per kg for Galloways from S Busby and Co, Unthank, Langholm.

Luing cows sold to 102p from JW Davidson and Co, Crosslee, Selkirk.

Lanark

Lawrie and Symington had 72 cattle forward, with Limousin heifers topping the trade at 242p on two occasions from Messrs Dickinson, Brockwoodlees Farm, Canonbie.

Bullocks peaked at £1301 from Silverrig.

The firm also sold 476 hoggs and 599 cast ewes, with classes proving hard to cash as demand slows during uncertain times.

The whole sale managed to level out at 182.5p per kg and achieve an SQQ of 188.4p.

Beltex from Taylor, Southholm, led the way topping at £124 and 295p per kg.

Among the cast ewes trade peaked at £95 for Continentals from Hillside.

Ayr

A dramatic fall in trade was witnessed at Craig Wilson’s sale of 856 sheep comprising of 48 cast sheep and 809 prime hoggs.

Top price of the day was £88 paid for Beltex from M Stevenson, Balcaimie, and to 202.5p per kg for Texels from James A Watson, High Tarbeg. The sale averaged 163p per kg with an SQQ of 171.6p.

The firm also had 62 prime and cast cattle forward, selling at similar rates to last week, with bullocks and heifers levelling at 241.1p and 211.6p respectively.

Top price of the day was 248p for a Limousin bullock from Carskerdo, and to £1558.90 for a British Blue cross bullock from the Allan Girls from Arnsow.

Heifers peaked at 241p for a Charolais cross from North Boig, and to £1460.65 for a Limousin from Glendoune.

St Boswells

Averages were down four pence in both sections at Harrison and Hetherington’s weekly primestock sale of 43 clean cattle, nine cast cows, with bullocks and heifers averaging 208p per kg and 218p respectively.

Clean cattle peaked at £1396.72 from Smailholm Mains, and to 234p from Lennoxlove.

Cows from Middlestead topped at £1164.66 and 177p.

Carlisle

On Monday, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of 134 head of cast cows, prime bulls and prime cattle.

A smaller entry of prime cattle were forward due to the lack of demand, where Limousin crosses led the way.

Firstly for a steer from Messrs Bowe, Bothel Parks, Wigton, achieving £1366.20 and heifers from the same home peaked at £1260.Top price among the pence per kg was 207.5p for a Limousin cross heifer from Messrs Studholme, Nealhouse.

Dumfries

A Limousin heifer from Burnside, Lochmaben, triumphed at C and D Auction Marts’ weekly primestock sale, the sale leader peaked at 232p per kg.

Among the OTM’s it was a Simmental from Craiglearen, that topped at £837.20, and to 110p for a Galloway from Barfil.

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