Forfar

LIMOUSINS dominated Lawrie and Symington's sale of 35 prime cattle when a 561kg Limousin heifer from Gask made 260p per kg and a 668kg Limousin bullock from Nethermyres sold for £1663.32.

Bullocks also sold to 259p for a 605kg Limousin from Nethermyres, with heifers at £1574.50 for a 670kg Limousin from West Bog.

In all, 16 bullocks averaged 233p while 19 heifers levelled at 243p.

Among the prime sheep, 482 lambs reached 215.6p and £112 for Texels from Whitemyre, to average 182.2p (-3.5p) while 212 ewes and rams sold to £117 for Texels from Mains of Dalrulzion.

Dumfries

PRIME cattle met a ready demand as the seven on offer sold to 230p per kg for a British Blue heifer from Pendicle, at C and D Auction Marts.

Among the cast cows, trade was firmer for a plainer show as 44 dairy types averaged 92.9p and peaked at 116p for a Holstein from Woodhead and £855 for the same from Netherwood, while 14 beef cows levelled at 126.9p and sold to 150p and £1234 for an Aberdeen-Angus from Woodhead.

Averaging 180p, the 1252 prime lambs saw well-finished and heavier lambs sell dearer as they reached £84.50 for Texels from Maryholm.

Cast ewes (1148) peaked at £128.50 twice for Texels from Newton Bungalow, while rams hit £130.50 for Texels from Clydeside.

Huntly

LAMBS were slightly cheaper on the week at United Auctions' sale of 950 new season lambs although well-bred continentals and heavy sorts still met a firm enquiry.

They sold to 213p per kg for 44kg Beltex from Newmill of Rathen, Fraserburgh, and £100 for 56kg Texels from Hilton of Culsh, New Deer.

Heavy ewes remained a decent trade, with leaner types and Blackfaces easier on the week. Top price was £114 for Suffolks from Corskie.

Thainstone

ABERDEEN and Northern Marts' sold 35 prime cattle at its Thainstone Centre, last week, where seven bullocks averaged 196.7p and 17 heifers levelled at 220.9p (+4.3p).

Heifers topped the pence per kilo at 242p for a 505kg Limousin cross from Cairncoullie, Glenkindie, and an 815kg Limousin cross bullock from Braeside realised £1467.

Trade also reached 224p for a Limmy cross weighing 610kg from Stoneyhill, Keith-hall, and £1368.50 for a similar heifer weighing 595kg from the same home.

The nine young bulls averaged 174.9p (+4.9p) and sold to 215p for a 650kg Limousin and £1628.25 for a 835kg Limousin both from West Knock, Mintlaw.

Among the cast cows, 159 beef cows averaged 133.2p (-5.6p) and sold to 181.5p for a 620kg Simmental from Bridgend, Hatton, and £1525 for a 920kg Limousin from Plewlands, Elgin, while three dairy cows levelled at 103.7p and sold to 104.5p and £615 for a 590kg Friesian from Gilbraes, Twatt.

Bulls (13) averaged 129p and sold to 141.6p for a 925kg Charolais from Bankhead, Clatt, and £1830 for a 1375kg Charolais bull from Milton of Culloden, Inverness.

Averages dropped on the week at the firm's sale of 531 new season lambs as they levelled at 174.6p (-8.2p) with 349 SQQs at 176.7p (-9.5p). They sold to 189.5p for 43kg Texels from Whiteside, Alford, and £100 for 55kg Texels from Foggieley Croft, Craigievar.

Stirling (Cal)

A HEIFER from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, topped Caledonian Marts' sale of 85 prime bullocks, heifers and young bulls, as it sold for 258p per kg, while a Simmental bullock from C Smith, South Flanders, Kippen, topped the gross trade at £1762.80.

Bullocks also hit 242p twice from J and J Whylie, Knockhouse, Dunfermline, while heifers also peaked at £1729.20 from W Dandie and Sons, Learielaw, Broxburn.

Young bulls sold to 220p from AH Fisher, Merrick, Stranraer, and £1434 from DM Lyle, Mid Cambushinnie, Kinbuck.

Of the 58 cast cows and bulls, beef cows averaged 133p and sold to 182p from T Hamilton, Bridgehouse, Linlithgow, and £1380 twice from the same home, while dairy types levelled at 99p and peaked at 122p from J Pollock and Sons, Bonnyhill, Bonnybridge, and £1010 from the same home.

On Tuesday, the firm sold 1282 prime lambs to average 178.6p (-2.2p on the week), where well-fleshed regularly sold between 180 and 190p.

Topping the trade at £104 was Beltex crosses weighing 50kg from Doune Farms, while a 45kg Beltex from DA Baird and Sons, Ninewells, made 211p.

An entry of 551 cast sheep saw heavy ewes average £52.74 and sell to £93 for a pen of Texels from Messrs Scott, Ewing, East Overton, Beith, while tups peaked at £96 for Texels from J Lawrie, Tillyrie, Milnathort.

Stirling (UA)

BELTEX headed up United Auctions' sale of 4010 new season lambs last week, which included the Scottish Beltex Club show judged by W Shearer.

The champion pen from Davie Harviesmailing topped the trade at £103 when sold to Robert Lawson, while the reserve pen from Graham Easterton realised £102.50 and 232p per kg.

Texels from Chalmertstone topped the 2226 cast ewes at £130, while Texel tups from Glenhead made £98.

Longtown

A SIMILAR show of 3912 quality prime lambs met a much better trade than the anticipated at C and D Auction Marts' sale, where export types regularly sold between 200p per kg and 230p. Averaging 185p, they peaked at 247p for Texel lambs from G Mitchinson and Sons, High Greenhill, Brampton, and £105 for a similar pen from TD and JR Byres, Cubbyhill, Longtown.

Lightweights were also in demand as they realised £70 for 30kg Texel lambs from Troloss Farms, Biggar.

The 7591 cast ewes and rams sold slightly easier than last week's extreme rates with a top price of £150 for Texel ewes from PG Perring and Son, Hoprig, Berwick, with hill ewes to £68 for Blackface ewes from WJ and D Longlands, Rushleylaw, Hexham.

Tups sold to £118 from Fearn Farm.

On the same day, a small show of cattle met a competitive trade when they topped at 165p for Belted Galloways from Hoscote Estate, Hawick.

St Boswells

AN entry from Hoselaw led the gross trade at Harrison and Hetherington's sale of 58 clean cattle, on Monday, when it sold for £1491.84.

The 20 bullocks which averaged 221p (-7p on the week) sold to 250p from Pathhead, while 38 heifers cashed in at 226p (+9p) and sold to 248p from Penston.

Cast cows (28) averaged 133p (-4p) and sold to 159p from Huntington and £1325.08 from Roxburgh Mains.

Trade was back by as much as 25p in the sale of 1321 prime lambs as they averaged 174p and sold to £96 for Texels from Crookston and 216.7p for the same from Blythebank.

A mixed show of ewes averaged £57 with heavies at £85 and lights at £87. Heavies hit £101 for Bluefaced Leicesters from Newbigging Walls, with lights to £87 for North Country Cheviots from Soutra Mains.

Ayr

A MUCH poorer show was on offer at Craig Wilson's sale of 1365 prime lambs, where leaner types proved harder to cash than those with power and flesh.

With the entire sale of 1933 prime sheep averaging 174.5p (-5.5p), top price per head in the lambs was £93 paid on four separate occasions for a Suffolk cross from Laigh Boreland, Springfield, Low Holehouse and Nether Ardroscadale.

Leading the pence per kilo at 205p was a Texel from J Brown, Aitkenhead, Kirkmichael.

All classes of cast ewes and rams sold cheaper on the week and saw 287 light ewes average £34.40 with 275 heavies at £66.80. They peaked at £103.50 for a Texel ewe from A and B McHarg, Broadhead, while five rams averaged £56.80 and sold to £90 for Texels from Boghouse.

On Tuesday, prime cattle continued to sell well as 14 heifers levelled at 221.1p or £1159.18 and sold to 247p and £1432.60 for a Limousin from Girvan Mains, while four bullocks averaged 198.6p or £1144.29 and peaked at 213p for a Charolais from Brownsfield and £1197.90 for a Luing from Holmes, Drybridge.

In the cast ring, all classes were easily cashed and saw cows sell to £1280 for a Limousin from Sunnyside as the 54 beef-bred cows levelled at 123.7p while dairy sorts averaged 104.6p.

Lanark

A LIMOUSIN heifer from Messrs Dickinson, Brockwoodlees, Canonbie, topped Lawrie and Symington's sale of 110 prime cattle when it sold for 260p per kg.

Heifers also sold to £1545 from the same home while bullocks peaked at 233p and £1290 from Hill.

Cast cows saw beef types peak at £1115 and 151p from Messrs Wilkins, Wester Whitecastle Farm, Biggar, while dairy types realised 143p from Midhill and £1035 from Shotlinn.

A large show of 2758 prime lambs met a mixed trade with heavy lambs sought after but lighter types proving harder to cash. They topped at £103 for Texels from Greenfield and 213p for Texels from Collielaw, to average 174p (SQQ 174p).

Among the cast sheep, a smaller show of ewes saw all classes easier on the week, with less demand as festival trade is over. Top price was £144 for Texels from Carlinside.

Castle Douglas

ALL classes were slightly sharper on the week at Wallets Marts' sale of 1076 prime and cast sheep, where a good show for quality was forward.

Lambs sold to £100 for heavy Texels from Messrs Hamlet, North Park, Lochfoot, while Beltex lambs from Gelston, Castle Farms, realised 232.2p.

The 283 cast sheep were cheaper on the week and sold to £100 for Texels from Denty.

Dingwall

IT was heifers that led Dingwall and Highland Marts' sale of 23 prime cattle, on Tuesday, when a 545kg Charolais cross from Mountrich Farm, Dingwall, reached 237p and a 740kg Charolais cross from Bridgend Farm, sold for £1494.80.

The 22 heifers levelled at 218.5p (-4.7p).

The prime lamb average was back by 3p on the week as the 594 forward averaged 172p and sold to 188.2p for a pen of 42.5kg Beltex crosses from Kinnahaird Farm, Contin, and £81.50 for a pen of 51kg Charollais crosses from 6 Ardindrain, Beauly. The 472 SQQs averaged 173.5p (-2.2p).

Ewes and feeding sheep (249) sold to £95 for a Texel cross ewe from 34 Newmarket, Stornoway.