CALEDONIAN Marts Ltd sold 1,998 prime lambs, ewes and tups at its Christmas Show & Sale of prime lambs at Stirling this week.

The show was judged by Mr Steven Brown of R Brown & Son who awarded the champion’s rosette to the 1st Prize pen of Beltex lambs that weighed 47.6kg and were later purchased by the judge for £180. First prize Texel & Reserve Champion was a pen of 54kg Lambs which sold for £112.

Twenty-five pens of show lambs (Texel & Beltex) averaged 224p/kg selling to a top of 378p for the champion pen.

Overall sale average for 1,551 sold was 184p (-11p on the week, +4p on the year).

The 447 cast sheep were notably dearer on the week. Heavy ewes averaged £93.61 selling to £153 for three Beltex ewes, while light ewes averaged £60.72 selling to £84 for Cheviots.

Messrs Craig Wilson sold 19 prime heifers at Ayr on Tuesday to a top of £1,327 and 235p/kg for two different Limousins to average £1,184 or 213p overall. Eight, beef-bred bullocks peaked at £1,327 and 225p for the same Limousin to average 188p or £1093. Three Friesian bullocks sold to £1,063 or 154p to average £897 or 144p. Overage young bulls sold to £1209 for a Simmental and 159p for an Aberdeen Angus.

In the rough ring 32 cast beef cows averaged 118p and peaked at £1,090 for a Simmental or 155p for a Limousin, while 58 cast dairy cows averaged 85p and sold to £790 for a Friesian or 106p for a different Friesian. Three cast bulls averaged 98p and were topped at £1,040 and 122p for a Limousin. Six clean OTM cattle averaged 134p and sold to £930 for a Hereford heifer or 155p for a Limousin Heifer.

Seven dairy cattle sold to £1,800 on two occasions for Holstein Friesian heifers.

The firm also had 30 pens of prime lambs entered for their Annual Christmas Show & Sale at Newton Stewart yesterday.

The Champion’s ticket was awarded to a pen of three Beltex lambs that weighed in at 49kg and later sold to the judge for £150 per head. Reserve Champions were Texel lambs that weighed 53kg and sold for £120.

Outwith the show, 1,592 lambs sold to a top of £97 for heavyweight Suffolks and averaged 185.5p overall (- 8.9p). Lightweight Texels topped the sale per kilo at 212p/kg.

In the cast sheep section hill type ewes and leaner sorts were similar to last week’s trade whereas all other classes saw a rise in price. Topping the ewes at £118 were Charolais crosses. Mules sold to £79, while Cheviots peaked at £75.50 and Blackfaces reached £65.50 for a pen of 28.