Auction firm enjoyed big rise in number of sheep traded in 2020

More than 30,000 extra sheep were traded by Aberdeen and Northern Marts last year.

The auctioneering business, which forms part of north-east farmers’ co-operative ANM Group, reported a 12% increase in sheep going through its rings in 2020 – equating to 30,550 more sheep than were traded in 2019.

The company, which runs marts at Thainstone near Inverurie and at Quoybrae in Caithness, also reported a 2% rise in the number of cattle sold through its rings.

ANM chief executive Grant Rogerson said a move to introduce a realtime online bidding facility for its weekly commercial livestock sales had helped it attract more business.

“Our desire to continually innovate and invest in our business has resulted in a year that has seen throughput increase, market values rising and most importantly, we have secured good returns for our members,” added Mr Rogerson.

He said the company had made a number of appointments on the back of last year’s success in its livestock division.

These include Scott Chapman as an auctioneer and David Hay to the role of operations manager in the livestock division.

Existing auctioneer Stuart Slessor will also work with deputy head of livestock Colin Slessor to drive cull ewe and prime sheep sales.

ANM head of livestock, John Angus, said: “The last 12 months have been challenging to say the least, but by investing in our front line team we are meeting these challenges head on.”

The safety measures UK abattoirs have adopted to allow safe operations during the Covid-19 crisis are highlighted in a new video.

The two-minute animation, which is available in both English and Chinese, has been created by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

The levy body said it was produced to highlight the range of practices being adopted in UK abattoirs to ensure the safe production of red meat.

It said the Chinese version is designed to show officials from the country and importers that UK meat processors are taking precautionary measures to facilitate ongoing trade, while the English version will be used in other export markets such as the EU and the US.

“The UK has market access for sheep, beef and pig products in more than 50 countries and we felt compelled to reassure our export markets of the steps being taken to minimise any risk during these challenging times,” said AHDB international market development director Dr Phil Hadley.

“Health and quality have always been at the

centre of UK meat production and the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in additional measures being put in place to manage the associated risk.

“It is important that we communicate the ongoing safety measures operating in UK abattoirs with industry and consumers both at home and overseas.”

ANM saw a boom in sheep sales last year.

The film shows a range of practices in UK abattoirs.