Caledonian Marts sold 3531 store lambs at their opening sale of the 2020 season at Stirling yesterday, which was a record number for the centre.

The overall average was £65.21 which was up £6 on the year. Leading averages were Beltex at £72.50 (+ £6 on the year), Suffolk £69.00 (+ £6), Texel £66.04 (+ £7), Mule £62.92 (+ £8) and Blackface £43.41 (+ £3). Top price of the day was for a pen of Beltex lambs at £85.

Messrs Craig Wilson sold 771 prime lambs and cast sheep at Newton Stewart yesterday. Top price on the day was for a heavy Suffolk lamb at £114 with top spot per kilo going to Beltex lambs at 231p/kg. The run of prime lambs included 139 Mule and Blackface lambs which contributed to reducing the average price this week to 210p/kg overall (-12p). Cast sheep kept up recent high rates topping at £133 for a Texel Cross. Mule ewes peaked at £96 and Blackface ewes topped at £65.

C&D Auction Marts sold 67 cattle at their weekly sale in Dumfries yesterday. Prime cattle sold to 238p/kg for a British Blue heifer and the same for a Limousin heifer. OTM's met a competitive trade and peaked at £1255 or 166p/kg for a Limousin.

There were also 843 prime lambs at the sale which peaked at 242p/kg for lightweight lambs and £104 for heavy lambs. The trade for 354 cast sheep looked sharper on the week. Heavy ewes peaked at £136 for Texels, while Cheviot Mules sold to £92 and Blackfaces to £77.

Messrs Craig Wilson sold prime, cast and breeding cattle at their sale at Ayr on Tuesday. Thirteen prime heifers sold to a top of £1478 or 257p/kg for a Limousin cross to average 239p (+19p), while 3 prime bullocks averaged 219p.

In the rough ring 192 cattle were slightly dearer on the week for all classes. Eighty-seven cast beef cows sold to £1,380 and 178p for Limousins to average £830 or 135p, while 98 cast dairy cows peaked at £1040 on two occasions and to 168p to level at 113p. Seven cast bulls sold to £1480 and 165p for two different Aberdeen Angus to average £1173 or 121p.

Four dairy cattle sold up to £2100 for a Holstein Friesian heifer.

There was also a small offering of breeding cattle at the sale, with good types still easy cashed, however plainer and older cows would be harder to sell. Topping the Sale was £2020 for a British Blue cross heifer with a bull calf at foot. Bulling Heifers Sold to £1100 for a pen of British Blue crosses and in-calf cows peaked at £1380 for a Limousin Cross