Caledonian Marts Ltd held its annual sale of regular cast Blackface Ewes and Gimmers alongside its weekly sale, of 4,527 store lambs and feeding ewes, yesterday.
A great show of 2,433 breeding sheep was topped by Ewen McMillan, Lurg, Fintry when his pen of five Blackface gimmers smashed the centre record when they sold for £340 per head to a telephone bidder from Co Down in Northern Ireland.
In the Blackface section many of the regular customers would be up by £20-£25 on the year with 1,424 BF ewes averaging £70 (+£23.29 on the year). Store lambs (2,094) were a similar trade to last week, selling to a top of £81 twice for a pen of Texels.
C&D Auctions held its weekly sale of primestock in Dumfries yesterday. Four prime cattle sold to 235p/kg for a Limousin cross bullock which was purchased by R Johnstone & Sons Butchers, Annan.
Fifty-three OTM cattle maintained recent values if they were beef types but dairy breeds looked easier this week for a plainer show. Top prices were £1110 and 165p/kg for Limousins, while Holsteins peaked at £753 and 106p.
There were also 1,186 prime lambs which sold to £110 for heavy Texels and 236p/kg for mid-weights. The 704 lambs that weighed between 39kg and 45kg averaged 212p/kg.
The 563 cast sheep at the sale maintained recent rates with heavy ewes peaking at £138 for a Texel. Cheviot Mules sold to £75, while Blackfaces made up to £72.
Messrs Craig Wilson sold 764 prime lambs at Newton Stewart yesterday to average 208p/kg. Best fleshed lambs were easiest to sell with many pens selling between 214p and 220p/kg. The sale was topped at £108 for heavy Texels and at 226p/kg for a pen of Beltex. In the cast sheep ring top price was £91 for a Lleyn, while Mules sold to £81 and Backfaces peaked at £59 for a pen of 13.
Lawrie and Symington sold 861 store cattle to its fortnightly sale at Lanark on Tuesday. Bullocks peaked at £1,430 for an Aberdeen Angus or at 241p/kg for a Charolais to average 215p. Heifers topped at £1,310 for an Aberdeen Angus or at 242p for a British Blue to average 210p. Dairy bullocks peaked at £1100 to average 178p.
C&D Auction Marts sold 7,939 store lambs and feeding ewes at Longtown on Tuesday. Lambs were slightly smaller this week but trade was similar to previous weeks with the overall average coming in at just over £73.
Top prices were for Texels at £94 and £93 with Beltex to £91. Heavy types of feeding ewes sold to £80 for Texels, while hill ewes peaked at £54 for Blackfaces.
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