Prime sales

On Monday, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of primestock, where a smaller show of 340 cast cows, bulls and prime cattle, as well as 2415 prime sheep were forward.

Messrs Oliver, Cawfields' run of cows topped at 726kg and sold for 163.5p per kg or £1187 to Owain Llyr, while DA Harrison's run of cows from Hill House topped at 744kg, 156.5p per kg or £1164 and were also purchased by Owain Llyr.

A plainer show of black and white cows were on offer with a sharper trade throughout. Messrs Mattocks, Aulby, sold British Friesian cows for 708kg, 143.5ppk or £1015 and to 662kg, 142.5ppk or £943 and was purchased by Alan Jarvis and Mr Kirkpatrick.

A good entry of 94 prime bulls forward for the last sale of the year saw a day’s top of £1587, achieved for a Limousin from Messrs Dixon, Haresceugh Castle, Penrith.

Messrs Thompson, Townfoot, Penrith, sold another to £1527 both purchased by Ralph Pearson, Wholesale Butchers, Bradford. Messrs Rogerson, Maison Gill, Appleby sold the top priced Simmental and British Blue to £1536 and £1457 purchased by Ralph Pearson and Jewitt Meats Spennymoor.

Top price per kg of 219.5p was received by Messrs Carruthers, Glenzierfoot, Canonbie, for a Blonde cross.

A smaller entry of 34 prime steers and heifers forward with a good trade achieved for all classes sold. Top overall was £1578 for a Limousin cross steer from Messrs Bowe, Bothel Park, Wigton, £1572 for a Charolais cross from Messrs Harrington, Hosket Hill Farm, Carlisle and top pence per kg of 229.5p was received by Messrs Bowe, Bothel Park for another Limousin cross purchased by Pioneer Foods, Carlisle.

Heifers topped at £1583 for a British Blue cross from Messrs Crichton, Loughrigg, Egremont and the same vendor also sold top Limousin cross to £1567, the heifer was overall top pence per kilo of 232.5p. Charolais sold to £1360 from Messrs Vevers, High Stenries, Lockerbie. Many more could have been sold.

The company's weekly sale of 2241 prime lambs and 174 cast sheep saw a larger show of prime lambs forward, which met with an average of £82.72 per head achieved for all weights and grades, 182.27p per kg, this despite a lower percentage of best export types being forward. The sale topped at £101 for a pen of three Texel cross lambs from Messrs Sanderson, Swallowdene, Dearham which were purchased by R Skelton. Topping per kg at 254p was a pen of outstanding Texel cross lambs shown by Messrs Pearson, Wavercroft, Wigton, which were purchased by A Dawson.

Cast ewes were dearer on the week selling to £113.50 for Texels from Stone House, Castle Carrock.

Dingwall

Highland Marts sold 38 prime cattle at Dingwall, where nine prime bullocks averaged 211.6p (+3.7p) and sold to 225p per kg for a 530kg Limousin cross from Torgorm, Conon Bridge, and £1240.25 gross for a 605kg Simmental cross also from Torgorm selling to John M Munro Ltd, Dingwall.

The 29 prime heifers averaged 212.4p (+2.8p) and sold to 228p per kg for a 540kg Limousin cross and a 525kg Limousin cross selling to Messrs John M Munro Ltd, Dingwall both from Kinchyle Farm, Inverness, and £1390.00 gross for a 695kg Limousin cross from Bridgend Farm, Dingwall.

On Tuesday the firm sold 729 prime sheep with 688 new season lambs averaging 169.1p (+1.1p) and selling to 189.5p per kg and £90.00 gross for a pen of 47.5kg Texel crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge selling to Messrs Fraser Brothers Butchers, Dingwall. Feeding sheep (41) sold to £75 gross for a Texel ewe from Hollies, Dunmore.

Lanark

On Monday Lawrie and Symington's prime sale saw Limousin heifers sell to 262p per kg from Messrs Dickinson, Brockwoodlees Farm, Canonbie, selling to JH Cairns Butchers, Law.

British Blue heifers sold to £1711 from Messrs McGarva, Nether Abington Farm, Abington, to C Anderson, Dumfries.

There were 3353 lambs and 1277 cast ewes were sold, with the sale topping at £100 per head for a Texel from Watson, High Tarbeg and Baillie, Carstairs Mains and selling to 234p per kg for Beltex from Clark, Wellheads. The overall average was 178.5p per kg (SQQ 184p/Kg)

A large Show of ewes saw trade sharper on the week especially for best ewes and lean ewes. An excellent show of pure Texel ewes topped at £161 from Swaites.

Wigton

A super show of cattle and trade saw a top of 238.5 p per kg for Messrs Pearson, High Plasketlands. Top gross £1625 for Messrs Crichton, Loughrigg with a 721kg Limousin. Steers sold to £1383 for 645kg from Messrs Dixon, The Thwaites.

The last sale of lambs before Christmas saw a fantastic trade for all classes of lambs with

the overall average being 218.5 p per kg or SQQ of 223.3 p per kg. Topping the sale was Paul

Simpson, High Scale, with a pen of Beltex which sold for £120 on two occasions.

Paul’s travel was worthwhile coming from North Yorkshire as his run of 172 Beltex lambs

averaged £104.67. There was 566 Beltex which averaged £101.75.

Stirling (Cal)

Caledonian Marts sold 1853 prime lambs, export lambs, ewes and tups.

A smaller show of lambs forward met slightly dearer trade with 39kg-52kg up

£2 on the week. Overall sale average for 1251 prime lambs was 180.4p (up 1p on

the week), 511 export lambs averaged 165p (+5p on the week).

Top price per head went to Doune Farms for three 50kg Beltex X at £97, while top price per kg went to Ian Campbell, Meikle Seggie for a 41kg Beltex at 227per kg.