Strong demand for Hill North Country Cheviot rams at Lairg

Sale: Two-shear from Suisgill flock takes top price of £13,000, while two other rams sell for £10,000 each

Hill North Country Cheviot rams met a strong demand from both pedigree and commercial breeders at Lairg where a two-shear from Suisgill topped the entry at £13,000, and 270 rams sold to average £1,192, a drop of £138 compared to the 2016 sale.

Females sold less favourably and were well back on the year as 1,639 gimmers averaged £104.28 (-£21.86), and 6,521 ewes averaged £65.68 (-£18.43).

The female entry reached £500 for four black gimmers from the Heathmount dispersal which sold to Richard McCulloch, Overhill House, with the proceeds going to RSABI.

Selling for the top price was a two-shear by Bailenacraobh Model, a stock sire bought at Lairg for £7,000, from the Suisgill flock shepherded by David Henderson.

He was used at home as a shearling and sold to Borders breeders the Elliot family for their Woodside flock, Kelso, and the Allen family for their Stouphill and Whitefield flocks, near Alnwick.

David then sold two from his shepherd’s pack for £4,200 and £4,000 to Joyce Campbell, Armadale, and Achentoul, respectively.

The former was by Torrish Phantom and the latter was by Torrish Photogenic.

The first of two rams to sell for £10,000 was a three-shear from the Welbeck flock, presented for sale by Billy Millar and Allan MacLean.

Selling to Suisgill, he is by a Northhouse sire and out of a ewe by a Balnakeil tup.

The Allens, Billy, Kate, Ruth and Dallas, also received £10,000, this time for a two-shear son of Auldallan Psycho, which was bought for £3,200, which heads back to the Glamis-based Auldallan flock with Bob and Kay Adam.

The Balnakeil flock from Andrew and Elizabeth Elliot, and shepherds Gordon and Elaine Fletcher, saw their best sell to Badanloch for £9,000.

This two-shear is by Brackside Mump, a £5,000 purchase.

Later, the Hartside flock managed by Alan Hutcheon received £7,800 from the Wilson family, Newbank, for a two-shear named Hartside Hill TC. He is by Hartside Rooney.

Recouping some of its expenditure, the Badanloch flock managed by Hugh Mackenzie brought in tops of £7,000, £4,800 and £4,800 for three-shears.

Selling to Martin Cook, Erribol, for £7,000 was a son of North Loch Naver Nomad.

This two-shear ram from the Suisgill flock took the top price of £13,000.

A ram from the Stouphill flock was one of two to fetch £10,000 at the Lairg sale.