Farming

Round-up

By Alec Ross

Well-fleshed prime lambs at Dumfries yesterday were easily sold and peaked at £145 for R Sloan, Ryemuir.

The lightest types averaged 248p/kg and sold to 248p/kg for a Charolais from Hall, while heavier sorts averaged 264p/kg and sold to 283p/kg for Texels from Shangan.

Cast ewes met a firm trade and sold to £138 for a Texel from Swyre. And despite the effects of inclement weather, store lambs held up well with Texels from Loaningfoot selling to £78 and Charolais from the same home peaking at £94/head.

Overall, prime lamb prices at Newton Stewart yesterday dropped slightly but well finished types held up well, selling to 270p/kg for Charmoise lambs from Corhulloch. Heavy lambs continued to command a premium, and topped at £154/head for Texels from Barbae and Over Airies.

Blackies from Kirkmabreck sold to £117 with Mules from Barlaughlan making £129. Cast sheep were as keenly sought as last week and sold to £148 for Texel crosses from Chapelton who also topped the Mule trade at £92, and Cheviots peaked at £86 for Cairndoon. Cast tups also sold easily, peaking at £140 for a Bluefaced Leicester from Ardoch.

Calves at Carlisle yesterday peaked at £600 for a British Blue bull from Jeanfield, while Limousins sold to £460 for Big Balcraig who also topped the Angus section at £440. Heifers sold to £420 for Limousins from Crosshill, who also led the Anguses at £340, while Blues reached £390 on four occasions for Tempest Tower.

Store cattle numbers were noticeably down but all types sold well and peaked at £1,880 for Limousin cross steers from Woodfield, while quality weaned calves met with demand and sold to £1,400 for an outstanding Limousin bull from Prospect House, while heifers peaked at £1170 for a Limousin from Hillend.

Bullocks at St Boswells averaged 288p/kg and sold to 324p/kg, while heifers averaged 287p/kg and sold to 338p/kg. Cast cows averaged 164p/kg and sold to 245p/kg of £2014/head.

Lambs dropped slightly on the week to an average of £120/head and sold to £154/head for Texels or 308p/kg for Beltexes, with cast sheep averaging £82 and selling to £185 for a Suffolk tup.

Despite an increased number of stores up for sale, prime lambs at Ayr on Tuesday proved easy to sell and averaged 265p/kg or £118/head, with a top price of £160/head being paid for a pen of Texels from Castle Mains or 327p/kg for Beltexes from Dykes.

The better cast sheep stayed in demand and sold to £170 for a Charolais tup from Dalry, but overfat types were harder to cash. However, hill ewes still sold to £93 for a Cheviot from Pinmerry and Blackies peaked at £85 for a pen of twenty from Middleton.

And new season lambs at Dingwall on Tuesday averaged 241p/kg and sold to 262p/kg for Texel crosses from Guisachan or £123 gross for the same breed for Inveruglas, while feeding sheep sold to £159 for a Texel ewe from Dell of Killiehuntly.