Consortium of farmers pay £100k for lamb at auction

● Group of five farmers win ‘frenzied’ bidding war for male lamb

A lamb has been sold for an eye-watering £100,000 to a consortium of five farmers.

The annual Blackface sheep sale at Dalmally Auction Mart, south of Oban, saw more than 1,000 animals go under the hammer on Saturday, though many changed hands for a couple of hundred pounds.

John Murray, of Muirkirk, Ayrshire, owner of the Crossflat flock, placed the winning bid for a consortium of farmers who own flocks at Midlock, Nunnerie, Auldhouseburn and Dyke.

Explaining the attributes of their £100,000 purchase, Mr Murray said: “It’s very modern, it’s got a tremendous coat, tremendous muzzle, he has a good look about him.

“A lamb like that only comes along once in a while, you don’t see them like that much.

“How do you know? We are professionals, we are brought up with it.”

Pointing to hill farmer Billy Renwick, from Blackhouse, in the Scottishborders, Mr Murray said: “I bought one off Billy two years ago for £90,000 and last year I sold £120,000 of lambs off that one and kept the best one.

“Buying at that price looks crazy but I have made money… but I could have bought Billy’s tup [ram] and then it didn’t produce – it’s a gamble.”

Mr Renwick said: “We have worked away quite well but that was something you always dream of, you spend your whole life trying to achieve it, it’s an investment in your future.

“My father was a shepherd but then he got a farm. It was his ambition to achieve a dear lamb and we sold lots at £20,000 before, but he watched it all on Facebook when we sold that one for £90,000.”

He added: “A lot of people criticise it, but that’s what you do, you could spend money on other things and nobody would notice but you are trying to invest in the future of your business. I have not bought one at that price, but I admire people that do.”

Quintin Dunlop, of W Dunlop & Sons, near Dunbar, which produced the £100,000 lamb, said he was “probably” going to spend the cash on more sheep.

The Dalmally record for a Blackface lamb is £160,000, set at last year’s sale, with Mr Murray also being part of that buying group.