Lanark

THE Friday before Christmas saw a good show of prime lambs meet an animated trade at Lawrie and Symington's sale of 2224 lambs and 1775 cast ewes, at Lanark, where a Texel from Nether Abington topped the trade at £100 per head, while a Beltex from High Parks made 225p per kg.

The overall average was 190p with an SQQ of 195p per kg.

Ewes and rams were also sharper on the week especially for the best quality types while Blackface and Cheviots were similar. Top price was £159 paid for a Texel from Auchenbart, with rams peaking at £95 for another of the same breed from High Parks.

Newton Stewart

A SMALL show of 846 prime lambs met a buoyant trade from start to finish at Craig Wilson's prime sale selling to £103 on two separate occasions. First was a pen of three Texels from A and J Wright, Pinmore Mains, with a single Texel from John Young and Sons, Castle Mains, making the same. Top per kg was 226.8p for a single Beltex from Johnny Wright, Pinmore Mains.

Overall average levelled at 192.1p with the SQQ at 200.1p.

The smaller show of 579 cast ewes peaked at £154 for four Texel ewes from Messrs Currie, Fisherton, Dunure. By the end of the day, 481 heavy ewes averaged £71.58; 91 light ewes at £42.98 and seven tups cashed in at £84.

Dingwall

PRIME cattle averages slipped on the week at Dingwall and Highland Marts' sale of 23 head, with bullocks cashing in at 205.9p (-5.7p) and heifers at 206.4p (-6.0p).

Bullocks peaked at 221.0p for a 565kg Limousin cross from Mountgerald, Dingwall and £1376.85 per head paid for a 685kg Limousin cross from Bridgend Farm, Dingwall.

Heifers sold to 221.0p for a 595kg Limousin cross and £1430.00 for a 650kg Limousin cross both from Bridgend Farm, Dingwall.

A flying trade for the 123 prime sheep saw the 80 lambs rise 13.8p per kg on the week to average 182.9p with an SQQ of 185.1p. Top prices were 195.8p and £95.00.

Penrith

NUMBERS were out in force for Penrith and District Farmers' Mart's Boxing Day sale of 3303 prime sheep, comprising of 2474 lambs and 829 cast sheep, where an SQQ average of 215p/kg was achieved, with an all-in average price of 201p per kg or £92.02 per head.

Topping the sale at 275p per kg was a pen of 12, 41kg Beltex cross lambs from TH Harrison, Sleddale Hall. Lead price per head was £116, paid for a pair of 45kg Texel lambs from RN Strong, Barton Hall, .

Heavy lambs met a serious trade, with a pen of 20, 55kg Texel cross Mule lambs realising £108.

Cast ewes and rams also met a firm trade, with six Suffolk ewes realising £112 per head from J Gracey, Tehilluh Farm, Aberdeen.

Stirling (Cale)

All classes of lambs were keenly bid for and more could have been sold to sellers advantage at Caledonian Marts' sale of 2262 prime lambs, ewes and tups on Wednesday.

Top price was £110 paid for a 70kg Texel from J MacGregor, Dyke, with a lead per kg of 237p paid for 41kg Beltex from JB Guthrie.

Such was the demand that 40-42kg lambs sold between 210-220p per kg with the overall average for 1796 levelling at 200p per kg.

Heavy ewes sold to £90 for a Texel from T Kerr, Victoria, Muthill, to average £65.22, with export ewes cashing in at £40.71 from a lead bid of £49 for a Cheviot from J Gilvear and Sons, Graystale, Stirling.

Hawes

ON Boxing Day, Hawes Auction Mart sold 693 prime lambs and 248 cast ewes and rams, where Texels from J Scarr and Sons, Askrigg, and JS Horner, topped the trade at £100 per head, while continentals from F Dinsdale and Sons, Carlton, led the price per kg at 227p.

Overall, continentals averaged 206.30p per kg; Mules levelled at 181.60p and Swaledales cashed in at 163.50p.

Cast sheep sold to £89 for continental ewes.

Forfar

SOME 332 prime sheep and cast ewes were forward for Lawrie and Symington's prime sale at Forfar, where 314 lambs averaged 198.6p per kg with an SQQ at 204.8p.

Top price was 227.8p from Mains of Dalrulzion and £103 per head from South Ballo.

Cast sheep peaked at £100 for Beltex from Tannochie.

Thainstone

PRIME lamb averages rose 11.7p per kg at Aberdeen and Northern Marts' final prime sale of 2018 when 1367 sheep were cashed.

Lambs (1312) averaged 194.7p per kg having sold to 225.6p per kg for 41kg Texels from Kirkhill, Alves and £100 for 55kg Texels from Barnyards, Delgaty. SQQ up to 0-45.5kg (871) averaged 204.9p per kg (+10p).

The 55 ewes and rams sold to £93.50 for continentals from Newton of Greeness, Turriff.

Stirling (UA)

THE final prime sale of 2018 at United Auctions' Stirling centre saw 3815 prime lambs average 201.77p per kg having sold to £116 per head for Beltex from Pittenkerrie and 265.0p per kg for the same from West Lethans.

The 1428 cast sheep hit a top of £160 paid for a Texel ewe from Nethermill and £80 for a Suffolk ram from Southfield.

St Boswells

HARRISON and Hetherington's sale of 44 clean prime cattle and 14 cast cows saw heifers sell to 241p per kg and £1417.08 from Bee Edge with cast cattle peaking at 129p and £1062.60 from Kedzlie Farms.

Overall, 11 bullocks averaged 188p; 33 heifers cashed in at 217p and 14 cast cows levelled at 90p per kg.

A good show of 919 prime lambs rose 17p per kg on the week to average 200.5p. Top price was £118 paid for Beltex from Crookston, and 227p per kg given for Suffolk lambs from Wester Middleton.

The entry of 222 ewes averaged £58 having sold to £87 for Suffolks from Buxley and Hampshire Downs from Blackhouse. Heavy ewes averaged £81 and lights at £46.

Darlington

A SMALLER selection of bulls and clean cattle was forward for Darlington Auction Mart's prime sale during the festive period, which saw 59 bulls sell to 224p per kg on three occasions for Limousins from JA and M Boyes, Strathmore House.

Top price per head was £1694 paid for British Blue from D Richardson and Co, Bracken House.

The seven steers and five heifers sold to 215p and 217p per kg from RA Patterson and Son and J Richmond, respectively. Top gross prices of £1102 and £1204 were given for steer and heifer entries from RA Patterson and Son and PT Stephenson and Son, respectively.

A smaller entry of prime lambs returned an overall average of 206p per kg with the 1344 head selling to 245p for a pen from AS and G Donaldson, Little Langton Grange. A single lamb from A and EJ Dobinson, Gibside East Cleatlam, produced the top gross price of £116.

Cast sheep were also dearer on the week selling to £113 for a Texel ewe from KO Stones, Nuncote Nook.

Kirkby Stephen

SOME 5037 sheep comprising 3757 prime lambs and 1280 cast sheep were forward for Harrison and Hetherington's prime sale at Kirkby Stephen, where all classes met a strong demand.

A Beltex cross lamb scaling 54kg from Grace Elliott, Bank House, Mungrisdale, topped the trade at £127, while a pen of 40kg Beltex cross lambs from Messrs Kendal, Outgang, produced the lead price per kg at 275p.

Cast sheep sold to £115 for a Texel ewe from Newton Farm with rams peaking at £100 for another of the same breed from Hesket Demain.

Longtown

MORE than 6000 prime lambs and 3335 cast sheep were forward for C and D Auction Marts' sale where the overall lamb average was 204.4p with the SQQ at 210.4p.

Top price per kg was 285p paid for Beltex lambs from Gelston Castle Farms, Castle Douglas and Messrs Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Muthill, with many pens selling between 230p-250p per kg. Gelston Castle also produced the lead price per head at £120, again for Beltex.

Mule lambs peaked at £100 from Messrs Walker, Beech Croft, Cockermouth and Blackfaces sold to 214p from Arnicle, Campbeltown and Chapel, Moffat and to £88 per head from D and D Aitken, Uppercleuch, Lockerbie.

Light lambs peaked at 226p per kg and £68 for 30kg Greyface lambs from WC Anderson and Son, Parkhill, Hawick.

Cast sheep sold similar on the week with Beltex and Texels from AR Bell and Son, Kirkton, Hawick, topping the trade at £169 and £168, respectively. The Kirkton consignment averaged £159.83 for 24.

Hill ewes sold to £70 for Blackface from L Forster and Son, West Nubbock, Hexham.

Lead price amongst the rams was £105 paid for a Texel from G and CE Edminson, Middle Farm, Carlisle.