Special sales

Mitchells Livestock Centre held their weekly sale of primestock at Cockermouth, which attracted an entry of 23 cattle and 2127 prime sheep including 1621 lambs and 506 cast ewes and rams.

Top price per kg amongst the cattle at 201p was a British Blue heifer from Messrs Bowe, Hunday Farm, while a Limousin bull from D and MA Wilson, Lamplugh Hall, made £1308.72.

Cast cows sold to 137.5p and £1150.88 for a Limousin from Mid Farm.

The opening sale of sheep was met with great enthusiasm with the SQQ averaging 201.47p. Top price was 255.6p paid for Texel hoggs from E Clark and Son, Braithwaite Farm and £125 for an individual Texel hogg from Messrs Richardson, Low Garth.

Dumfries

SOME 25 OTM cattle and 1198 sheep were forward for C and D Auction Marts' opening sale of primestock for 2019 at Dumfries, where more could have been sold.

Holsteins sold to £745.20 from Barndennoch, and to 94p from Chapelcroft.

The 951 hoggs peaked at 217p per kg for a Texel from Farthingwell and Charollais from Dornells. Top price per head was £98.50 for a Suffolk from Lanarkland.

Wigton

PRIME old season lambs met a flying trade at Hopes Auction sale of 1252, where the overall average levelled at 225.22p per kg with an SQQ of 232.41p.

Texels from RR and G Bainbridge, Belmont, topped the trade at £125 per head, with more of the same from M Bindloss, Shap Abbey, selling at 310.30p per kg.

Leading the entry of 31 prime cattle at 234.5p was a 565kg heifer from Messrs Benson, Kirkland Hall, while steers sold to 221.5p for Messrs Hurst, The Hill Farm.

Top gross price was £1461 paid for a Limousin heifer from Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall Farm.

Darlington

YOUNG bulls sold slightly easier on the week at Darlington Auction Mart's sale of 122 where a Limousin from LW Aconley and Sons, East Cawthorne topped the trade at 219p per kg, with another from the same home selling for the lead gross price of £1707.

The 149 heifers produced the top price per kg at 270p for a home-bred British Blue cross heifer from RA Busby and Son, Harland House with another of the same breed leading the gross trade at £1518 for LR Welsh and Co, Green Lane Farm, and the 29 steers sold to 237p and £1477 from P and E Ellis and P and JH Davison, respectively.

The 2025 hoggs met a flying trade peaking at 249p per kg for a single Beltex lamb from AS and G Donaldson, Little Langton Grange, and £111 from CS and V Whitfield.

The 1012 cast sheep were good trade right through, with a top price of £116 from C Morris, Tutta Beck and C Moralee and Sons, Blackburn Farm.

Longtown

DEMAND was sharper than expected at C and D Auction Marts' sale of 5764 prime hoggs which averaged 198.9p with an of SQQ 203.5p at Longtown, last week.

Beltex hoggs from R Neill, Upper Tinwald, Dumfries, topped the trade at 279p per kg, while the same breed from S McKie, Finnieness, Castle Douglas, sold to £119.

Light hoggs peaked at 223p and £71.50 for Cheviot hoggs from Breconside Farming, Moffat.

Cast sheep (3312) were a similar trade on the week, selling to £181 for a pen of nine Texel ewes from J and C Hastings, Kilncroft, Dumfries. Hill ewes sold to £74 for Blackface from H Hamilton and Co, Glenmanna, Thornhill.

Rams were topped at £136 for Texel rams from S and M Pickworth, Dotland Park, Hexham.

The 12 cast cows were topped at £927 and 122p for a Limousin cow shown by Kilnstown Farms, Bewcastle.

Stirling (UA)

UNITED Auctions sold 4518 prime sheep comprising of 3184 prime lambs, at Stirling, last week, where the overall average levelled at 194.72p per kg.

Top price was 251p per kg and £108 per head paid for a Beltex from West Park.

The 1334 ewes and rams saw a top of £138 for a Texel ewe from Braevalloch, and £86 for a Texel tup from Kinclaven.

Stirling (Cale)

SOME 129 cattle comprising of 68 prime bullocks, heifers and young bulls and 61 OTM cattle, were sold at Caledonian Marts' sale at Stirling, last week.

Heifers were topped at 260p by a Limousin from DS and RC Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Muthill, and £1537 again for another from Easter Ochtermuthill.

Bullocks reached 240p on four occasions for Limousins – twice from W Dandie and Sons, Learielaw, Broxburn, and DS and R C Taylor, Easter Ochtermuthill, Muthill, and to £1545 from the same two homes.

Topping the young bulls at 215p and £1475 was a British Blue from Dalchirla Farms, Muthill.

Also forward were 62 OTM cattle which saw beef cows average 113p having sold to 124p per kg for a Limousin from A and K Farming,

Westwoodlane, Stirling, and to £1010 from the same home.

Dairy cows averaged 89p with a lead price of 98p from J and J Kinloch, Walton, Cardross, and to £750 from the same home.

On Tuesday, the firm sold 1557 prime hoggets, ewes and tups, where all classes of hoggs were keenly bid for to average 198p for 976 – up 7.4p on the week.

Top price went to C Malone, Pitcairn, with a pair of 45kg Beltex lambs at £108 and R Wardrope, Easter Coates, who sold three, 65kg Texels at £108. Pitcairn sold the top priced lambs per kg at 240p.

All classes of ewes were sharper on the week with the entry of 581 seeing heavy types average £74.97 after selling to £138 for Texels from M Jack, Carriston, Star of Markinch. Light ewes averaged £46.59 having peaked at £59 for Cheviots from AD Miller, Bridgehouse, Westfield.

Thainstone

PRICES peaked at 231p per kg and £1411.85 at Aberdeen and Northern Marts prime sale at Thainstone, where 10 bullocks averaged 195.2p and 18 heifers levelled at 206.3p.

A 570kg Limousin heifer from Mains of Kildrummy topped the price per kg section, and went on to sell for £1376.40 to lead the gross heifer trade. Topping the gross trade overall was a 755kg Simmental cross from Biffie at £1411.85, while a 555kg Limousin cross from Mill of Newton, Insch, made 216p.

Beef cast cows (67) averaged 123.6p having sold to 149.4p per kg for a 770kg Limousin from Hilton of Culsh, New Deer, and £1210 for a 855kg Limousin from the same home and for a 980kg Charolais from Tillenturk, Torphins.

Two bulls sold to 135.2p per kg for a 880kg Simmental from Netherskaill, Birsay and £1550 for a 1215kg Charolais from Brucewells, Netherley.

The firm also sold 1473 prime and feeding sheep, with the 1351 old season lambs averaging 174.7p per kg having sold to 204.8p per kg for a pen of 42kg Beltex from Hallhill, Kinneff, and £100 for a pen of 61kg Texels from West Knock, Mintlaw. The SQQ for 724 averaged 181.9p per kg

Feeding ewes and rams (122) sold to £150 for Charolais Ewes from Logie Durno, Pitcaple.

Ayr

ON Monday, Craig Wilson sold 1723 sheep, comprising 1216 prime hoggs and 507 cast ewes and tups.

Hoggs sold to £105 for a Texel from L and B Kirk, Waterside, and 231.1p for a Beltex lamb from J and J McLeish, Back O’Hill .

Blackface hoggs were topped at 201.4p for a pen of 34 from A and C B Miller, Baidlandhill. The 1216 hoggs sold to average 198.8p, with an SQQ of 205.1p.

Cast sheep (507) were sharper on the week selling to £150 for a Texel ewe from J and J McLeish, Back O’Hill, while Blackface ewes peaked at £49.50 from Andrew Paton and Co, Craig.

Tups peaked at £101 for a Blueface Leicester from JM Nisbet and Son, Sorn Mains. Overall, 300 light ewes averaged £39.69, with 163 heavy ewes at £76.41. The 44 tups forward averaged £64.23.

Lanark

SOME 47 prime cattle and 88 cast cows and bulls were forward for Lawrie and Symington's weekly prime sale where a Limousin heifer made 252p for Messrs Dickinson, Brockwoodlees, and a bullock of the same breed made 228p for R Warnock, Hill Farm.

Beef cast cows sold to 148p per kg and £1345 from Midlock with dairy types selling to £785 and 101p from Hawksland.

Young bulls reached £1300 from Craig Douglas.

Texels from Messrs Struthers, Collielaw, led the sale of 2148 prime old season lambs selling at £107 per head. Top price per kg was 260p paid for Beltex from Messrs Clark, Wellhead. The overall sale average was 197p per kg with an SQQ of 202p.

Cast ewes and rams saw a good show for quality meet a dear trade with all classes, especially best end Texels and big lean ewes attracting the dearest trade for some time. However, fat continues to be harder to sell. The sale was topped at £183 for Texels from Hartside Farms.

St Boswells

HARRISON and Hetherington's weekly primestock sale at St Boswells saw 77 clean cattle, 25 cast cows, 2100 hoggs and 756 ewes, change hands.

Clean cattle sold to £1418.48 from Bee Edge, or 248p from Penston, with a young bull from Wolfstar producing the lead price overall at £1469.16

The 23 bullocks averaged 206p per kg while 52 heifers levelled at 211p.

Cast cows (25) averaged 109p having sold to 163p and £1111.66 from Philiphaugh.

Leading the old season lamb trade at 240p per kg were Texels from Huntington while Beltex from Crookston topped the gross trade at £113.

Charollais ewes from Falsidehill led the cast sheep trade at £151 per head, with heavy ewes cashing in at £83, while light ewes levelled at £47.

Penrith

PENRITH and District Farmers’ fortnightly sale of prime cattle saw a much-improved trade, with all buyers present and keen to purchase.

A Limousin cross British Blue bull, weighing 673kg topped the trade at 208.5p per kg or £1403.21, for D Raine, Old Parks, with a Limousin cross from the same home leading the heifer trade at 201.5p or £1269.45 per head.

A good run of dairy-bred continental bulls from J Stalker, Ratten Castle, sold to 185.5p and £1190.91 for a 12-month-old Limousin cross from J and E Medcalf, Halifax.

Orkney

FORWARD for Orkney Auction Mart's sale on Monday were 11 prime cattle and five OTM cows, as well as 286 prime hoggs and 27 cast sheep.

Prime cattle sold to 225p per kg for a Limousin heifer weighing 585kg from JW Laughton and Son, Easterbister, Holm, which realised £1316.25.

OTM cows sold to 100.8p and £620 for a Simmental scaling 615kg from J and M Cursiter, Charleston, Papa Westray.

Leading the prime hoggs at 189.1p per kg was a 46kg Texel from Holland Papay, while three Texels scaling 58.3kg from BS Scott, Netherhill, Tankerness, made £100.

Cast ewes sold to £118 for a Texel, Netherhill.

Carlisle

AT Carlisle on Monday, Harrison and Hetherington held their weekly sale of Primestock where they had a large show of 475 cast cows, bulls and prime cattle along with 2578 prime and cast sheep was forward.

Andrew Gammie, Drumforber Cottage, topped the cast cattle section selling an 862kg Limousin cross at 174.5p per kg, or £1505, while dairy entries peaked at 145.5p or £1944 for a 649kg Holstein cross from Wormanby Farm.

A good entry of 61 prime steers and heifers peaked at £1625.13 for a Limousin cross steer from Messrs Dixon, Low Whinnow, Carlisle, or 231.5p per kg for another Limousin from the same home.

Low Whinnow also led the heifer section at £1622.88 and 241.5p per kg, again with Limousin entries.

Prime hoggs were good to sell from start to finish will all classes keenly bid for to produce an overall average of 191.28p for 2358 hoggs with an SQQ of 202.55p.

Top price was £107.80 paid for Beltex lambs from Messrs Hall, New Houses, Hallington, or 257.1p for Dutch Texels from Messrs Scott, Thirwall Castle.

Cast sheep were also a flying trade peaking at £143 for Texels from Messrs Graham, Hallrigg, Penrith.

Wigton

A FLYING trade for prime sheep at Hope's Auctioneers sale at Wigton on Tuesday saw 1252 hoggs average 225.22p per kg with an SQQ of 232.41p.

Top price was £125 paid for Texels from RR and G Bainbridge, Belmont, with Beltex from M Bindloss, Shap Abbey, leading the pence per kg section at 310.30p

Prime cattle entries (31) were led by a 234.5p per kg bid for a 565kg heifer from Messrs Benson, Kirkland Hall, while steers sold to 221.5p per kg from Messrs Hurst, The Hill.

Top gross price was £1461 paid for a Limousin heifer from Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall, with steers selling to £1393 from Messrs Hurst, The Hill. Well finished bulls peaked at 208.5p and £1565.84 for Messrs Byers, Ellen Bank.

Castle Douglas

AN increased entry of 1769 prime sheep sold well at Wallets Marts' sale at Castle Douglas, where the 1460 old season lambs levelled at 196.2p with an SQQ of 200.8p against 185.6p at the same sale last year.

Top price was £107 paid for Beltex crosses from WD Adam Son, Torhousekie, Wigtown and 264.9p per kg again for Beltex crosses from the same home.

A larger show of 309 cast ewes and rams sold to £136 for Beltex ewes from G Forsyth, Corra, Castle Douglas, with Blackface ewes selling to £46 from Laghead. The overall average was £60.26.

Dingwall

ON Tuesday, Dingwall and Highland Marts sold 17 prime cattle, where prime bullocks (2) averaged 211.6p (+11.7p) having sold to 214.0p per kg and £1337.50 gross for a 625kg Limousin cross from Bridgend, Dingwall.

Prime heifers (15) averaged 207.7p (+4.9p) having peaked at 215.0p for a 595kg Limousin cross from Mountgerald, Dingwall, and £1376.85 gross for a 685kg Charolais cross from Bridgend.

Also sold were 801 prime sheep, where old season lambs (712) averaged 191.1p (-1.0p) having sold to 208.2 per kg for 42.5kg Beltex crosses and £95.00 for 51kg Beltex crosses from Torgorm, Conon Bridge.

The SQQ lambs, 36.5kg to 45.5kg (500), averaged 196.0p (+1.1p) per kg.

Feeding sheep (89) sold to £95 for Texel ewes from Balintraid, Delny.

Newton Stewart

A PLAINER offering sold cheaper on the week at Craig Wilson's sale of 1949 prime and cast sheep at Newton Stewart on Wednesday, where 1548 hoggs averaged 185p.

Top price was £95 paid for Texels from J McFarlane, Daldowie and 207.9p per kg for Beltex from Messrs Templeton, Carslae. The 300 Blackface hoggs averaged 183.5p peaking at 188.2p from Messrs Campbell, Larg, Creetown.

Cast sheep met a similar trade selling to £162 for Texel ewes from A Clark, Fineview and to £161 from H Sloan, Mull of Galloway. Overall, 11 tups averaged £58.06; 188 light ewes at £36.14 and 202 heavy ewes levelled at £69.97.