A huge congratulations to all at Midlock for breeding and producing the 200,000gns Texel lamb, Midlock Capaldi, sold at Lanark, last week.

The stockmanship, ability and dedication to breeding what must be one of the most structurally and physically correct animals sold in pedigree sheep circles in recent years has to be applauded when it will benefit both pedigree and commercial producers alike in years to come.

Joint buyers, Hugh and Alan Blackwood and Charlie Boden, also have to be applauded for having the confidence in the breed and the sheep industry in what must be an era of unprecedented uncertainty.

Breeding the best in pedigree and commercial livestock is becoming an increasingly difficult and stressful profession. These days, the rewards are few and far between, so who can criticise flockmasters for continually seeking to improve the quality of their breeding stock – pedigree or commercial by investing in superior quality rams, if the progeny they produce attract premium prices in the market place.

Top quality prime lambs that sell for an extra £5 per head compared to the progeny of previous stock tups come to a lot a money at the end of the day, and the same holds true when producing commercial breeding females, and further up the tree, pedigree tup lambs and shearling rams, which can sell for thousands of pounds.