Heavy lamb in high demand at Caledonian

CALEDONIAN Marts sold 2,438 prime lambs and cast sheep at their sale at Stirling yesterday.

Heavy lambs were in demand again with 43kg and heavier averaging 213p/kg. The overall average for 1,723 sold was 210p (+6p on the week) (+53p on the year).

Top price of the day was for a 52kg Beltex lamb at £126, while top price per kilo was paid for a 45kg Texel cross at 256p. In the cast sheep section there was a larger show of hill ewes which accounted for 60% of the sale. All classes were dearer on the week.

Heavy ewes averaged £107 selling to £156 for

Texels, while export ewes averaged £56 selling to £88 for Cheviots.

Harrison & Hetherington sold 62 clean cattle, 51 cast cows, 2109 prime lambs and 723 cast sheep at St Boswells on Monday.

Twenty-three prime bullocks sold to a top of 244p/kg to average 232p (+2p), while 38 prime heifers peaked at 248p to average 227p (-3p).

In the rough ring cast cows sold to £1,369 and 171p to average 140p (-6p). Prime lambs reversed the downward trend of last week when they returned an average of 221p/kg (+18p). Top prices were £125 and 261p/kg for Beltex.

In the cast sheep section heavy ewes sold to a top of £121 for Texels and averaged £91 (+£1), while light ewes peaked at £97 for Cheviots and averaged £60 (+£2).

The firm also sold eight prime heifers in Carlisle on Monday which peaked at 235/kg and levelled at 205p (-13p), while 19 prime, beef bred bullocks sold to 234p and levelled at 201p (-23p).

Seventeen beef-bred young bulls sold to 196p and averaged 174p (-7p), while 17 dairy-bred bulls peaked at 169p and levelled at 156p (n/c).

In the rough ring 141 cast dairy cows sold to 173p to average 110p (+5p), while 74 cast beef cows peaked at 173p to average 134p (-3p).

Eighteen cast bulls sold to 173p and levelled at 122p (-13p). There were also 3,023 prime lambs this week that sold to £126 and 303p/kg to average 219p (+9p). In the cast sheep section heavy ewes peaked at £116 for a Bluefaced Leicester.

Messrs Craig Wilson sold 2,129 prime lambs and 936 cast sheep at Ayr on Monday. Trade for prime lambs was buoyant. Top prices were £126 for a single Texel and 246p/kg for a pair of Beltex. The whole sale averaged 217p (+13p). In the cast sheep section heavy ewe ewes sold to £165 for a Texel. Texel cross ewes peaked at £146. Mules sold to £102 and Blackfaces to £64.