Despite a couple of technical issues, the first livestock sale in the UK through the Yourbid online bidding platform proved a resounding success, with Scott family’s Great from Grass event witnessing averages were well up on the year.

The sale at Fearn Farm, Ross-shire saw 112 rams average £925, up £281 on the year, with 281 gimmers cashing in at £140, a rise of £10 per head.

No fewer than 46 rams breached the £1000 mark with a top price of £2175 paid for an Aberfield shearling ram. Gimmers sold to £155 for a pen of Aberfield crosses.

Buyers who were able to view sheep on the farm’s Youtube channel, place bids over a 10-day period which culminated in two hours of intense bidding from as far a field as Cornwall, Wales and Northern Ireland along with the Orkney, Shetland and Wester Isles.

In all, 25 Texel rams sold to £1425 to average £1021; 11 Beltex cross Texels to £1000, to level at £850; six Beltex peaked at £940 to balance out at £560; six Beltex cross Suffolks sold to £1050, to cash in at £917; 33 New Zealand Suffolks peaked at £1175, to average £684 and 31 Aberfields hit a top of £2175 to level at £1203.

The 74 Aberfield cross gimmers sold to £155, to average £146; 142 NZ Suffolk crosses to £145, average £127; 20 Texel crosses averaged £145 and the 45 Cheviot gimmers peaked and averaged £135.