Lanark sales sees record Blackface price equalled
The record price paid for a Blackface sheep was equaled at Lanark yesterday, when a ram lamb from the Dunlop family’s Elmscleugh flock, based at Dunbar, sold at £160,000 – matching the price achieved for a Dalchirla lamb at Dalmally in 2015.
That sale, plus another 17 at five-figures, helped boost the average by more than £900 on the year, to £5,550 for 156 head.
The sale topper, which was a nursed twin, is sired by the £45,000 Midlock lamb, bought last year, while the dam is by the £100,000 Nunnerie tup, bought in 2014.
“He was our best lamb all summer, but we never imagined he would make that kind of money,” said Quintin Dunlop, who farms with his father Willie and brother William. The final bidders were the Campbells at Glenrath, Peebles, and Hugh and Alan Blackwood, of Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk. The Blackwoods reclaimed their share of that purchase, however, when they sold their pen number one at £80,000, to Ewen Macmillan, of Lurg, Fintry, and the Kays at Gass, Straiton.
Another from Auldhouseburn reached £28,000, selling to a consortium of four buyers – Jamie and Matthew Dunlop, Upper Wellwood, Muirkirk; Jim and Eoin Blackwood, Dalblair, Muirkirk; Andrew and Ian Cullens, Dollarbank, Dollar; and Rory Kerr, The Glen, Drymen.
The Campbell family from Glenrath had a memorable day, following on from their strong trade at the shearling sale the previous day.
They sold six lambs to average a phenomenal £29,900 – a centre record average – all sons of the £75,000 Dalchirla ram. Dearest of the pen sold to Burncastle Farming Co, managed by Alan Rogerson at Lauder; Tommy Renwick, Williamhope, of Clovenford; and Billy Renwick, of Blackhouse, Yarrow.
Next up, Glenrath sold at £75,000 to Archie and John Macgregor, of Allanfauld, Kilsyth; Jimmy and Donald Macgregor, of Dyke, Milton of Campsie; and Elmscleugh.
Early in the sale, the Loughash team – John and Charlie Harkin, from Strabane, Co Tyrone – achieved £30,000 for their best, which went to a trio of Northern Ireland buyers – Damian Mcswiggan, Veronica Fullerton and Brian Devine.
At the other end of the sale, Sandy Patterson, Auchloy, Crieff, was delighted with his trade, selling to £26,000 for one knocked down to Charlie Phillips, Finglen, Draperstown, and Eoin Mckenna, Tullykeeran.
Shearlings also met a strong trade the previous day, with no fewer than 14 lots hitting the five-figure mark and Ring 1 seeing increased averages and more sold on the year. Overall in Ring 1, 267 shearling rams averaged £2,280 (+£83 on the year), while in Ring 2, 217 shearling rams leveled at £501.34 (-£56 on the year).
The Dyke rams from Jimmy and Donald Macgregor at Milton of Campsie, are regularly up amongst the best prices, and this year they stole the shearling show, securing the top two prices on the day, at £30,000 and £26,000, with their 11 lots averaging out at £7440.