Increasing demand for the Suffolk both as a cross-bred female and a terminal sire, ensured a bumper trade for the breed with a centre record of £25,000 paid for a ram lamb and new high of £10,000 for a shearling.
Such was the demand for good, big, easy fleshing rams that unregistered shearlings, also met a roaring trade, selling to £5500 to match last year’s high.
Barrie Turner, chief executive of the Suffolk Sheep Society was delighted with the sales. “It was a blistering hot day with a hotter trade for Suffolks. Registered averages saw a considerable lift on last year with more lambs and shearlings sold.
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“Two very busy rings throughout the sale demonstrated to all that the resurgence of the Suffolk breed continues as commercial producers return to make the most of the ‘Suffolk Advantage’ of increased growth rates and disease resistance.
"Farmers are also waking up to the Suffolk’s ability to produce meat from grass fast when most other breeds are reliant on expensive concentrates for commercial lamb production.”
While the commercial trade soared, it was a first-class pedigree lamb from Jimmy Douglas’ Cairness flock from Fraserburgh that stole the show, when he surpassed the previous high of £23,000 paid for a Stockton lamb, some years ago.
The February-born lamb from the veteran octogenarian who runs 90 pedigree ewes at Woodhead of Cairness, is by a £1600 Jalex son of Frongoy Rocket, used on loan from near neighbour, David Moir. The dam, a home-bred ewe by Millhouse Remarkable, goes back to Cairness Liam. The lamb was knocked down to John Sinnett who was buying on behalf of Jed Sharp from Worcester, who will use the tup naturally next year over his 100-strong Sharps ewe flock.
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Later in the day, Northern Ireland breeder, James Alexander of the Jalex flock, produced a shearling high selling his pen leader for £10,000 to Dylan and Anwen Jones of the Lluest flock from mid Wales. Their purchase from the 100-strong Jalex flock founded on females from Dumfries-shire breeder, Hazel Martindale’s Landale enterprise, is by Jalex ET, a son of Landale The Gambler, and out of a ewe by Strathbogie Peaky Blinder.
On the debit side, Mr Alexander bought back some of his own genetics, forking out £4500 for the pre-sale champion from the Ingram family, Logie Durno, Inverurie.
Their top Suffolk is a son of a privately purchased Jalex ram that goes back to a Scrogtonhead ram bought at Carlisle in 2021. Bred from a home-bred dam, he was first at the Royal Highland, reserve at Turriff, reserve at the Royal Welsh and champion of the Black Isle where he also made up part of the winning inter-breed pairs.
Logie Durno also sold Suffolk shearlings at £3200 and £3000 to Alfred and Norman Robinson of the Benrafton flock, Downpatrick, and James Pate, Marvingston, Gifford, respectively.
Derbyshire breeders, Steven and Louise Buckley of the Sitlow flock from Buxton, also came up with the goods, selling their second prize lamb for £4200 to Gavin Brown, Springfield, Penicuik. His pedigree features the 15,000gns Sportsmans Black Label which has bred several sons at four-figure prices while the dam, a home-bred ewe by Island Moyle Empire, has produced sons to £2000.
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Next best amongst the lambs was a £2800 sale from Stewart Lathangie’s Pyeston flock from Glenrothes, which sold for export to Messrs Rodrigous, Portugal. He is by Limestone Marksman and bred from the grand-dam of Howgillfoot Snipper.
Increased demand for easy fleshing Suffolks saw other registered shearling rams sell to £3500 from John and Ed Campbell, Rosebrough, Alnwick, whose pen were all sired by a £1000 Jubilee ram bought here in 2021.
Their sale leader, bred from a home-bred ewe, was knocked down to Ian Hepburn, Northhouse, Hawick.
Lorna Campbell’s first year selling registered shearlings at Kelso from her Lornajane flock from Glenrath, Peebles, also cut the mustard with two at £3000, both of which are sons of a £9200 Scrogtonhead tup bought at Carlisle in 2021. They sold to Carr Brothers, Poplar Farm, Chelveston, Wellingborough and RG Laing, Oxmuir, Duns.
Unregistered Suffolks were a cracking trade peaking at £5500 for another from Ali Warden’s Skelfhill flock, Hawick, brought out by Robbie Oliver. His massive tup is again by the £1800 Allanshaws tup that bred last year’s £5500 sale leader and the previous year’s best at £3000 from Skelfhill. The buyers were JF Stott and Sons, Elilaw, Morpeth.
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Skelfhill also sold two at £3200 – one by the Allanshaws ram and another by a Nettingflat sire to Macfarlane Farms, Quixwood, Duns and the Thornborrows, Easter Dawyck, Stobo, Peebles.
Matching that £3200 unregistered Suffolk shearling price was the best from John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, purchased by Kenneth Sutherland and sons Stephen and Kenneth, Stainland and Sibmister Farms, Caithness. His sire was bought privately from Logie Durno.
Mr Elliot sold no fewer than 90 tups of various breeds and crosses in several rings in less than 30 minutes, to average £1380.
Averages: 224 shearling rams, £1302.46 (+£123.62 for nine more sold); 170 ram lambs, £808.47 (+£141.68 for five more); 444 unregistered shearling rams, £906.28 (-£2.14 for four less).
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