Prime lambs enjoy revival at St Boswells as prices rebound for cast sheep at auction
HARRISON & Hetherington sold 69 clean cattle, 48 cast cows, 2086 prime lambs and 377 cast sheep at St Boswells yesterday.
Prime lambs bounced back up in value this week, in line with other centres, to average £98 and 230p/kg (+14p). Top prices were £129 and 276p/kg for Beltex lambs. In the cast ring the average for all cast sheep was over £76 which was also well up from the week before. Heavy ewes sold to £115 for Texels and averaged £90, while light ewes peaked at £85 for Cheviots and averaged £59. Twenty-seven prime bullocks sold to a top of 245p/kg to average 220p (-5p), while 39 prime heifers peaked at 249p to average 224p (n/c).
Three young bulls sold to £1,453. In the rough ring cast cows sold to £1,760 and 189p to average 156p (+3p). The firm also sold 16 prime heifers in Carlisle yesterday which peaked at 226p/kg and levelled at 206p (n/c), while 12 prime, beef bred bullocks sold to 223p and levelled at 212p (+6p).
Forty-two beef-bred young bulls sold to 222p and averaged 187p (+3p), while 40 dairy-bred bulls peaked at 191p and levelled at 171p (+14p).
In the rough ring 202 cast dairy cows sold to 166p to average 117p (-2p), while 113 cast beef cows peaked at 227p to average 145p (+3p). Eleven cast bulls made up to 166p and averaged 128p (-2p).
There were also 2,059 prime lambs that sold to £134 and 286p/kg to average 235p (+15p).
In the cast sheep ring 171 heavy ewes sold to £129 for a Texel and averaged £84 (+£10), while 32 light ewes peaked at £75 for a Blackface and levelled at £61 (+16p).
Caledonian Marts sold 329 store cattle at their fortnightly sale at Stirling yesterday. Bullocks averaged 214p/kg selling to 264p for a pen of Simmentals and to
£1,360 for a pen of Limousins. Heifers averaged 209p and sold to 230p for a pen of
Simmentals and to £1160 for a Shorthorn.
C&D Auction Marts sold 254 store cattle at their fortnightly sale in Dumfries yesterday. Bullocks peaked at 280p/ kg and £1240 for Charolais to average 221p overall. Heifers sold to 269p and £1265 for British Blues to average 212p overall.
Messrs Craig Wilson sold 2,751 prime lambs and 635 cast sheep at Ayr yesterday. Top prices for prime lambs were £125 on two separate occasions for pens of Texels and 257p/kg for a single Beltex. The whole sale averaged 227p/kg. All classes of cast sheep sold dearer on the week with a top price of £150 for Texels.
Texel cross ewes peaked at £120, Mule ewes sold to £89 and Blackfaces peaked at £70.