EDDIE GILLANDERS
This season’s improved trade for store and prime lambs was reflected in strong buying at Britain’s largest one-day ram sale yesterday at Kelso.
More than 5000 shearling rams and ram lambs, sold simultaneously in 16 sale rings, attracted a huge turnout of buyers which resulted in a sharp increase in average prices for most of the 20 breeds and crosses on offer.
Bluefaced Leicesters led the way with a top price of £12,000 for a shearling from J Wight and Son’s Midlock flock at Biggar to Wm Barker, Lancaster. The Midlock flock also sold another at £5000.
The Wright’s also splashed out £7000 for a Texel from Tom and Jack Arnott, Haymount, Kelso, who received the same price for another from their flock to Stewart Barclay, Harestone, Banchory.
A third £7000 was made for a Texel from Peter and Lynn Gray, Cowgrove, Galston, which was bought by a consortium of three buyers.
This was followed at £6200 for one from J and H Clark, Garngour, Lesmahagow, to Charles Angus, Oldfield, Caithness, and £6000 for another from A Gray and Son, Langside, Lanark, to Mr Page Ripon, Yorks.
Others made £5800 for John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, and £5500 for Gordon Gray, Sunnycroft, Selkirk.
Suffolks sold to a top of £4500 paid by two buyers from Northern Ireland for a ram lamb from Jimmy Douglas, Cairness, Faserburgh.
Two Beltex from Neil McQuistin, High Airyolland, New Luce, sold for £3800 to Jonathan Watson, Powsden Moor, and Mr Knight, Low Broadleys, and a Dutch Texel – the first son of the Belgian sire, Hercules, to be sold - realised the same price for Stuart Wood’s Woodies flock near Aberdeen.
Averages: Shearlings – 149 Beltex £779.93, 501 Bluefaced Leicester £940.86, 65 Border Leicester £430.92, 196 Charollais £491.94, 85 Lleyn £434.12, 44 North Country Cheviot £435.91, 287 Suffolk £655.71, 870 Texel £878.44, 525 cross £587.09, 431 unregistered Suffolk £593.39, 606 unregistered Texel £599.63. Lambs – 26 Bluefaced Leicester £1013.46, 33 Charollais £373.03, 229 Suffolk £500.57, 101 Texel £643.76.
MARKET REPORTS
Longtown (C&D Auction Marts)
5521 prime lambs – the largest show of the season – with a full ring of buyers bidding strongly to buy lambs for the Muslim festival. Strong demand for heavy lambs, tup lambs and best quality export weight lambs which commanded a premium. Top price per kg of 230p for Beltex and per head of £112 for Texel to average 187.3p/kg.
“Phenomenal” show of 6999 cast ewes and rams. Strong demand, especially if not over-fat. Texel rams to £145 and Texel ewes to £134.
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