Bullocks at St Boswells yesterday averaged 285p/kg and sold to 336p/kg, while heifers averaged 297p/kg and sold to 334p/kg.

Cast cows continued to meet with demand, averaging 204p/kg and peaking at 271p/kg or £1897/head. After last week’s mini-slump, hoggs jumped by 25p on the week to average 406p/kg and sold to £240/head for Beltexes, and cast sheep averaged £124/head and sold to £280 for a Texel ewe.

Prime heifers at Carlisle yesterday were down slightly on the week at an average of 274p/kg and sold to 326p/kg, while beef-bred bullocks rose by 11p on the week to average 300p/kg and sold to 318p/kg.

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Young bulls were virtually unchanged on the week at an average of 252p/kg and sold to 335p/kg for beef types, and cast beef and dairy cows stayed equally firm at 280p/kg and 266p/kg respectively. Prime lambs averaged 414p/kg and sold to 448p/kg or £222/head, with lowland ewes selling to £345 for a Texel and hill ewes selling to £178 for a Cheviot.

Beef bred heifers at Lanark yesterday averaged 301p/kg and sold to 342p/kg for a Limousin cross, while bullocks averaged 290p/kg and sold to 335p/kg, again for a Limousin cross.

Cast beef and dairy cows continued to meet with demand, rising slightly on the week to average 194p/kg and 166p/kg respectively. Hoggets jumped after a blip last week to average 382p/kg, and sold to £270/head or 542p/kg.

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Well-fleshed hoggets at Ayr yesterday commanded a premium over leaner types and sold to £224 for a Texel from Ploughlands or to 476p/kg for Beltexes from Hill of Ochiltree, while Blackies peaked at £206 for Sonoma or at 398p/kg for a pen of 32 from Linfairn.

Cast ewes sold to £335 for a pure Texel from High Langside, with tups peaking at £205 for a Texel from Broadsheen. Hill ewes sold to £195/head for a pair of Cheviot crosses from Westfield, and Blackies from Kirkton Drive sold to £126/head. Cheviot Mules reached £195 for Ingleston with Scotch Mules selling to £161/head for Overton.