A quiet fortnight caused by the recent local shows came to an abrupt end at Newton Stewart yesterday as both prime lambs and cast sheep saw a sharp rise in demand.
1,429 lambs averaged 265p/kg or £113/head and peaked at £143 for a Suffolk from Culmalzie or 296p/kg for Beltexes from Upper Hardland. Cast Texel ewes sold to £220 for Boghouse, while Mule ewes from Doldowie and Cairnhouse achieved £109/head. PA Murray, High Ersock, led the Blackies with £97.50/head for a pen of 23.
Prime cattle at Dumfries met more competition than recently, selling to 315p/kg for a Limousin cross heifer from Yett, with others selling to 310p/kg and 308p/kg for Fauldingcleugh.
Better weather meant that OTM cattle were scarcer, so trade was sharper on the week with Friesians selling to £979 for Boreland and Holsteins achieving £883 for Bardennoch.
Light lambs averaged 265p/kg and sold to 287p/kg for Foregirth, with heavier lambs averaging 287p/kg and selling to £134 for a Texel from Roshglen. Cast sheep help up well and sold to £184 for a tup from Roan and to £158 for a Texel ewe from Loaningfoot.
The strongest of the store cattle at Carlisle yesterday remained in demand, with smaller, weathered types more difficult to place.
Messrs Barnes, Hutton Roof sold the leading bullock at £1,710 before completing a notable double by selling the day’s best heifer for the same price.
Aberdeen Angus bulls topped at £1,260 for Messrs Atkinson, Brackenthwaite, while Limousin bullocks sold to £1,190 from Messrs Hall, Horsleyhill, with Limousin heifers from the same home selling to £1,330.
Calves peaked at £540 for British Blue bulls from Tempest Tower who also led the heifer section, peaking at £465 for British Blue crosses.
Aberdeen Angus bull calves topped at £520 for Connell Farms Ltd, while Angus heifers topped at £340 on three occasions for RI & M Bell, Aigle Gill, W Cruickshank & Co, Rattra Farm, and Connell Farm Ltd.
Limousin bull calves sold to £505 for Round Hill while Limousin heifers topped at £450 for Barsalloch Farms. Simmental bull calves sold to £490 for Connell Farm Ltd, who also topped the Charolais section at £480.
A large and high quality consignment of lambs at Longtown on Tuesday saw trade sharper on the week with all classes meeting good demand, peaking at £120/head for Texel crosses from Shepherds Cottage and at £113 for Beltexes from Sorbie Farm. Suffolks sold to £111/head for Tigh Na Bruach while Cheviots sold to £101 for Mollin.
Meanwhile, Blackies sold to £71 for Butterbridge Farms, who completed a good day’s trading by selling tups to £79 in the cast ring.
Trade was sharper overall at Dingwall on Tuesday, with ewes in particular meeting noticeably high demand. 464 new season lambs averaged 255p/kg and sold to 267p/kg for a pen of 43kg Suffolk crosses for Ord Farm, Invergordon, with Texel crosses from Easter Dalziel also achieving that return. Feeding sheep sold to £172 gross for a Suffolk cross ewe from Nuide, Kingussie.
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