Beltex and Dutch Texels top LiveScot event, Lanark

Judge Bill MacKinnon, procurement manager at Scotbeef, Bridge of Allan, was not only most impressed by his choice of champion winners but also the superior quality of all the lambs on show.

“It has been a fantastic show of lambs with all classes having really good entries of top quality lambs which is a huge credit to the breeders and the producers.

Champion Texels, reserve butchers' and reserve overall champion of champions, Dutch Texels shown by Joanne Hall and Jonny Aiken

“I was looking for lambs which made a pair and good lean lambs with a nice covering of flesh on them and Andrew’s two were easy winners. As soon as I handled them, I knew they were champion winners as they just had slightly more width and gigot,” said Mr MacKinnon who expects the lamb trade to improve on the run up to Christmas due to increased demand from domestic and European markets.

He added that Scotbeef’s sales have returned to pre-Brexit levels with a third of all lambs processed heading across the continent and mostly to France, Belgium and The Netherlands.

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Producing a second supreme overall here for Baillie family’s 500 commercial ewe flock of which 60 are pedigree Beltex based at Carstairs Mains, was a pair of home-bred ewe lambs that scaled 44kg each. They are by Clary Dumfries, a tup bought at Carlisle last year as an aged ram from Welsh breeders Dafydd Owen, Sion Jones and Edward Lewis, which was originally bought for 7000gns as a shearling in 2019. Brought out by Andrew Baillie, son Cameron and daughter Rachel, they later sold for the top price of £380 per head to Allans butchers of Stewarton.

Champion Blackfaces shown by Jonah and Alastair Scott, Spango, which went on to land the supreme Mountain and Moorland, with the reserve Blackfaces from Tom and Craig Macpherson, Pitsundry

Notably, Carstairs Mains also produced the first prize lightweight lambs, home-bred 41.5kg entries that went on to make £215 per head.

Dutch Texels from regular winners, the Halls of Inglewood Edge, Dalston, had to settle with the reserve honours. These two home-bred wedders are by a ram bought from Robin Slade that has sired several former champion winners for the 1500 commercial ewe flock. Shown by Joanne Hall and Jonny Aiken, they passed the weighbridge at 40kg and were later purchased by Jimmy Stark at £260.

There was another big win for the Dickies of Spango, Sanquhar, and shepherds Jonah Scott and son Alistair, when they won the prestigious Mountain and Moorland trophy for a fifth time with a pair of home-bred Blackies from the 2000-strong ewe flock.

Their show stoppers which scaled in at 48.5kg, are sired by a Waterhead ram bought last year from Bo Brown and Ben Cluckie. A ewe and a wedder lamb, they went on to sell for £172 per head to Ballards Butchers, Castle Douglas.

Judge Bill McKinnon presents the trophy for the champion South Country Cheviots from JJ Frame and Co High Dyke which went on to take the reserve Mountain and Moorland championship

Taking the blue and white sash in this section which includes North and South Country Cheviots and all types of Mules bred from hill-type females, was the overall Cheviot duo, Southies from brothers Alan and Scott Frame, High Dyke, Strathaven. These 40kg wedders by a Potholm sire bought at Lockerbie, were producing a second overall Cheviot championship for the 75 pure ewe flock. They made £128 per head to Scotbeef.

Jamie Scott Butchers, Paisley, purchased the champion North Country Cheviots, from the Cockburns at Kingside, Leadburn, for £122. These two 40.5kg lambs are by home-bred sires.

Super ceding that price at £127, was the champion pairing of Mules and crosses, Scotch Mules from the Firm of Shawhead, Douglas – an almost 3000-ewe enterprise owned by Lord Holmes of Douglas and Angus Estates, managed by Alastair Maclarty and son Alan. The duo who run five breeds were winning their first Mule title here having previously won the Blackface section, with two 51.5kg wedder lambs by Moscow sire – the last Bluefaced Leicester ram lamb sold by the late Robert McInnes, Grassyards.

Butchers’ lambs always sell well and this year was no exception with the champion pen of untrimmed lambs from John Guthrie, Cuiltburn, making £220. These Texel lambs scaled 44.5kg and sold to Jimmy Stark.

Second top price overall however was £300 paid for the third prize young breeders lambs – 42kg Beltex from Cameron, Finlay and Archie Barclay’s Twinsplusone flock from Mid Brockloch, Maybole. This twin-born pairing of ewe lambs are out of a Kingledores Battleaxe ewe and sired by Glenpark Dynamite. They sold to Andrew Baillie, Carstairs Mains.

Third top price overall was £290 paid by last year’s judge, Harry Wood, Popes Farm, Preston, for the reserve overall Texel lambs, heavyweights from Kenny Johnstone, Boghouse, which scaled 56kg.

It was also a good day for 11-year-old Bruce Guild, Ashmark, who added yet another young handlers championship trophy to his cabinet after winning at Ayr, New Cumnock to name but a few this year. Second in his class at the Royal Highland in June, young Bruce was exhibiting a Bluefaced Leicester ewe lamb at LiveScot.

Runner-up was 13-year-old Struan Whyte, Lintibert, with a Beltex lamb.

A big entry of competitors for the Young Farmers’ sheep dressing saw John Mitchell, Mauchline and Scott Gray of Crossroads and Ayr YFC winning the junior section with the seniors topped by James Fleming and James Hamilton, Avondale.

LEADING awards

Lambs – Blackface – Lightweight – 1 and reserve Blackface, J and T MacPherson, Pitsundry (34.5kg, £80); 2, R and B Dickie, Spango (36kg, £96); 3, F Smith, Cloverhill (37kg, £98). Mediumweight – 1, Firm of Shawhead (38.5kg, £108); 2, J and T MacPherson (39kg, £120); 3, F Smith (39kg, £103). Heavyweight – 1 and champion and Mountain and Moorland supreme, R and B Dickie (47kg, £172); 2, Firm of Shawhead (44kg, £119); 3, J and T MacPherson (42kg, £130).

North Country Cheviot lambs – 1 and champion, H Cockburn and Partners, Kingside (40.5kg, £122); 2 and reserve, CM Reid, Boreland (47.5kg, £128); 3, R and J Andrew, Rowanston (37kg, £110).

South Country Cheviot lambs – 1 and champion and reserve Mountain and Moorland, J and J Frame and Co, High Dyke (40kg, £128); 2 and reserve, TN Cavers and Co, Sorbie (46kg, £123); 3, Firm of Shawhead (35.5kg, £100).

Mules and crosses – 1 and champion, Firm of Shawhead (51.5kg, £127); 2 and reserve, F Smith, (50.5kg, £127); 3, H Cockburn and Partners (46kg, £119).

Butchers’ lambs – Untrimmed native – 1, D Cunningham, Walkerdyke (49kg, £150); 2, M Stewart, Brotherstone (45kg, £132). Untrimmed continental – 1, J Guthrie, Cuiltburn (44.5kg, £220); 2, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge (54.5kg, unsold); 3, G Whyte, Lintibert (45.5kg, £174).

Trimmed lambs – Native – 1 and champion native-bred lambs, R Garth and S Priestley, Peaks View (51kg, unsold); 2, WW and M Cuthbertson, Benwillen (53.5kg, £158); 3, D Cunningham, (44.5kg, £136).

Texel lambs – Lightweight – 1, Texel champion, reserve butchers’ and reserve overall champion, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge (40kg, £260); 2, R and M Struthers, Collielaw (42kg, £160); 3, K Johnstone, Boghouse (41kg, £1480. Heavyweight – 1, R Hall and Son, (49.5kg unsold); 2, K Johnstone (556kg, £290); 3, R Garth and Sarah Priestley, (52kg unsold).

Beltex lambs – Lightweight – 1, A Baillie, Carstairs Mains (41.5kg, £215); 2, J Guthrie, Cuiltburn (35kg, unsold); 3, D Cunningham (38kg, £158). Heavyweight – 1, Beltex champion, butchers’ champion and supreme overall, Andrew Baillie, (44kg, £380); 2, J Guthrie, (44.5kg, £200); 3, M Stewart, (52.5kg, £160).

Any other continental lambs – 1, D Cunningham, (44kg, £178); 2, DWelsh, Broadmoss (41kg, £148).

Young breeders lambs – 1 and champion young breeders, April Skelton, Inglewood Edge (45kg, unsold); 2 and reserve, D Cunningham, Walkerdyke (49.5kg, £198); 3, Cameron, Finlay and Archie Barclay, Mid Brockloch (42kg, £300).

Young handlers – 12years and under – 1 and overall young handler, Bruce Guild, Ashmark, with a Bluefaced Leicester; 2, Cameron Barclay, Mid Brockloch; 3, Grace Stewart, Ballhall. Between 13 and 17 years – 1 and reserve, Struan Whyte, Lintibert; 2, Libby Garth, Peaks View; 3, Stuart McLeod.