Farming

By Neale McQuistin

Harrison & Heatherington sold 79 clean cattle, 15 cast cattle, 1,641 prime lambs and 629 cast sheep at St Boswells on Monday.

Twenty-six, beef-bred prime bullocks sold to 298p/kg to average 279p (+3p), while 53 prime heifers peaked at 314p to average 280p (+1p).

Cast cows (12) peaked at £1952 and 241p to average 219p (+14p). Three cast bulls sold to £1,778 and 165p to average 160p.

In the sheep section prime lambs peaked at £146 for Texels and 289p for Beltex to average £110 (+£3) or 242p (+2p). Cast sheep sold to £155 for Suffolks and averaged £119 (+£1) for heavy ewes, while light ewes peaked at £129 for North Country Cheviot ewes to average £79 (+£8).

The firm also sold 19 prime heifers at Carlisle on Monday to a top of 320p/kg to average 254p (-3p), while 14 beef-bred, prime bullocks peaked at 278p to average 259p (+10p).

Twenty-six beef-bred, young bulls sold to 265p to average 240p (-5p), while 21 dairy-bred, young bulls peaked at 229p to average 187p (-3p).

In the cast ring 59 beef cows sold to 232p and averaged 180p (+1p) while 147 dairy types sold to 198p to average 152p (+2p). Twenty cast bulls sold up to 210p and averaged 168p (+7p).

In the sheep ring 2223 prime lambs sold to £151 and 346p/kg to average 242p (-4p).

Heavy cast sheep (156) peaked at £166 for a Texel to average £99 (+£17), while 47 light ewes sold to £117 for a Cheviot to average £73 (+£24).

Messrs Craig Wilson sold 2,530 prime lambs and 1,062 cast sheep at Ayr. The large offering of prime lambs met a better-than-expected trade again this week with the sale averaging 235p (-7p) or £106 (-£3).

Top price was £140, on two occasions, for pens of Texels and once for a pen of Beltex, while top per kilo was 271p for a pen of Beltex. Scotch Mules peaked at £114 and at 228p/kg for a pen of 32.

A massive show of cast sheep sold at lower rates than the previous week. Top price was £160 for Texels, while Mules sold to £110 and Blackfaces to £84.

Lawrie and Symington sold 33 prime cattle and 87 cast cows at Lanark on Monday.

Twenty-three beef-bred heifers sold to 302p/kg to average 283p (-1p), while three beef-bred bullocks peaked at 290p to average 270p (+1p). Seven young bulls averaged 225p (-15p).

In the cast cattle section 50 beef cows averaged 182p (n/c), while 35 dairy cows levelled at 165p (n/c). There were also 3,154 prime lambs that sold to £142 and 278p/kg to average 231p (-12p) cast ewes (1,589) sold to £214 for a Texel to average £83(+£2).