Some 13 rams sold at four figure prices to give an overall average of £789.81 for the 54 shearlings sold at the penultimate sale of Malcolm Stewart's high index Sandyknowe Suffolk flock.

The flock, which was dispersed in July, staged it's usual on-farm ram sale at Brotherstone, Melrose, which met a strong support from commercial and pedigree breeders looking for terminal sires to breed rams and females.

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The rams were scored by The National Suffolk Breeding Evaluation, which compares all performance recorded Suffolks in the UK. The current breed average for Terminal Sire Index in the breed is 150. The top 25% score in excess of 203, the top 10% in excess of 221 and the top 5% in excess of 279%. The Sandyknowe offerings saw 52 in the top 5%, two in the top 10% and two in the top 25%.

Sale leader at 3400gns was a ram with a terminal sire index of 353 and a maternal sire index of 312. Sandyknowe Y13:20:16713, was the choice of Jim Logan, Pirntaton, Galashiels and is by Sandyknowe Y13:19:16330, which sold last year for 1000gns to Andrew Morton, Lochend.

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Welsh breeder, AW Evans, Dol-llys Farm, Llandloes, went to 3000gns for a ram by the same sire, with a terminal index of 349.

Myles Wise from York paid 1600gns for Y13:20:16710 by Y13:20:16280 a son of Sandyknowe Yarrow 19:1, sold last year to Kirsty Bailey, Eastons for 1000gns and local breeder, Peter Eccles of Saughland, Pathhead, forked out 1500gns for another by 16280, with an terminal index of 380.