By Neale McQuistin

The forecast of warmer weather to come has ensured that trade for store cattle has remained buoyant. Lawrie and Symington Ltd sold 634 store cattle at their weekly sale at Lanark on Tuesday.

Bullocks sold to £1325 for a Limousin cross or to 273p/kg for a Charolais cross to average 215p.

Heifers were topped at £1285 for a Limousin or at 320p for a Shorthorn to level at 209p.

Dairy Bullocks peaked at £740 to average 153p.

Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 18 prime heifers at Ayr on Tuesday to a top of £1428 and 241p/kg for two Limousins to average £1259 or 222p (+10p), while 2 prime, beef bred bullocks peaked at £1300 for one Limousin and 233p for the other to level at £1279 or 232p.

In the rough ring 29 cast beef cows sold to £980 for an Aberdeen Angus or 142p for a Limousin to average 121p overall, while 56 cast dairy cows peaked at £900 and 120p for Friesians to level at 98p. Three cast bulls sold to £1340 or 140p for a Limousin to average 121p, while 6 clean, OTM cattle peaked at £850 for a Friesian heifer or 127p for a Limousin heifer to average 117p.

The firm also sold 1015 prime and cast sheep at Newton Stewart yesterday. The 946 prime hoggets sold to Averaged 195p/kg. Export types met the strongest demand however, it was a pen of heavy weight Beltex which topped the sale at £110 or 229p. The 466 Blackface hoggets at the sale continued to sell well and averaged 194p and sold to a top of £92 for a pen of heavy weights with a top price per kilo of 207p being achieved. A small show of cast ewes would be much dearer on the week and averaged £129 for the 69 cast sheep that were forward. The sale was topped at £170 for a pair of Texels and Mules were making up to £106.

C & D Auction Marts Ltd had 34 cattle forward for their weekly sale of primestock in Dumfries yesterday. OTM cattle sold to £955 for a Simmental and to £919 for a Limousin. Top price per kilo was 125p for a Limousin and a Saler. There were also 446 prime hoggets forward which recovered from the previous week’s downward trend and met brisk competition. 67 light weight hoggets sold to a top of £76 and 210p to average 203p, while 169 mid-weights peaked at £108 and 250p to level at 216p. The 230 heavy hoggets looked hardest to cash on the day. They sold to £109 and 237p for Beltex to average 191p overall.

A small show of cast sheep peaked at £149 for Texels.