Longtown

Pure-bred Texel gimmers from WJ and JG Bell, Kinninghall, Arbourlaw, Hawick, topped C and D Auction Marts’ sale of 3000 lowland breeding sheep selling at £300 per head.

Suffolk gimmers peaked at £248 for first crosses from Wanwood Partners, Wanwood Hill, Alston, and Mules reached £230 on two occasions – from WJ and JG Bell, Kinninghall and Miss R Smith, Glenzier, Canonbie.

The sale of ewes, which included three dispersals, reached £235 for Beltex cross Texel crosses from Messrs Ward, Whitstonehill, Tundergarth.

Full stock dispersal from J Anderson-Roskell, Ragithwaite, Moffat, was topped at £188 for a pen of 39 English Mules, with stock gimmers selling to £198.

Leading Prices

Gimmers – Tex – £300, £290, £280, £255, £250 Kinninghall; £290, £250 Kelsocleugh; £252 Shankfield; £250 Howard House. Suff – £248, £238 Wanwood; £235 Seymour Farms; £235 Hill; £185 Mackilston. Cross – £230 Kinninghall; £230, £220, £215 x2, £200 x3 Glenzier; £225, £212, £205 Patties Hill; £218 Southend.

Ewes – Tex – £235, £230, £225, Whitstonehill; £225 x2 Mindork; £225, £210 Kelsocleugh. Belt – £225, £200, Whitstonehill. Char – £210 Home; £185 Whitstonehill. Suff – £208 Mouldyhills; £198 Mindork. Cross – £188 x2, £175 x2, £165 x2 Ragithwhaite; £185 Mouldyhills; £168 Grainhead; £165 Chapel. Chev Mule – £170 Mouldyhills; £152 Chapel. NCC – £160 Home.

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Ayr

All averages improved on the year at Craig Wilson’s sale of 2355 breeding sheep, where a good show of 729 Scotch Mule gimmers sold to a top of £260 to average £212.65 – up £50 on the year.

Topping the trade was a pen of 22 suckled gimmers from Messrs Hunter, Laigh Langcraig, while Scotch Mule ewe lambs sold to £172 for a pen from Shawhead. They sold to average £140, up £24 on the year.

Top price overall was £400 paid for Texel gimmers from Gowanlea who also sold entries at £300 per head. A select show of Blackface ewe lambs peaked at £108 from Messrs Templeton, Low Drumclog, to average £87.41 (+£7.74).

Leading Prices

Gimmers – S Mule – £260 Laigh Langcraig; £255 Rankinston; £250 Dalfask; £245 Rankinston; £235 Craig, Dalfask, Pennyvennie, Drannahdhu, (Arran), Rankinston (x2); £225, £220 Rankinston; £220 Arnsow and Craig. Chev – £225 Kellybank; £205 (x2) Moor, Arran and Corriecravie, (Arran); £200 (x2) Moor (Arran); £180, £170 (x2) Seaview, (Arran); £165 Knocknaib. Tex – £400, £300 Gowanlea; £280, £240 Aitkenhead; £225 Kirklandhill; £220 Ardbheinn (Arran). Suff – £165 Farden, Pinwherry. Abermax – £240 Dunkeld. Zwart – £150 Dunkeld.

Ewes – Suff – £220, £215 Laigh Boreland. Texel – £185 Laigh Boreland; £180 Lawersbridge. Chev – £195 Aitkenhead; £170 Lochgoin.

Ewe lambs – SMule – £172, £165 Shawhead; £155 Lightshaw; £152 Shawhead; £150 Auchenflower and Harplaw; £148 Shawhead; £145 Harplaw and Fechan; £142 Bents, Barrhill and Harplaw; £140 Fechan and Smiddyhill. BF – £108 Low Drumclog; £102 and £95 Knockdon; £92 Knockeen.

J36

A Texel shearling ram from J Woodburn and Partners, Mansrigg, topped North West Auctions’ Lads Night Out show and sale when selling for £2000.

Just behind, on £1900, was a Charollais cross Beltex from JA and R Geldard, Low Foulshaw Farm.

Leading Prices

Two-shear rams – Suff – £1350, £1200, AR Edmonson, Ulverston.

Shearling rams – Tex – £2000, £1400 x2, Woodburn Family, Mansrigg: £1900, £1550, Bambers Farm, Thurnham; £1900, £1800, WJ and VS Case, Ulverston. Char X Belt – £1900, £1650 JA and R Geldard, Low Foulshaw. Cross – £1500, £1350 x2, G Sowerby, Terrys Farm. Suff – £1500, TA Blair, Thornton Cleveleys; £1400, £1300 JH Towers, Tunstall; £1200 x2 RA Batty, Selside; £1000, S Mason, Kirkby Stephen

Ram lambs – Tex – £1050 H and B Wharton, Tebay. Suff – £1000, £850, £800 TA Blair, Thornton Cheveleys; £650, T and E Redmayne, Carlisle.

Dingwall

The second prize pen of gimmers from Ballindalloch Home Farm attracted the top price of £265 at the Highland Mule Breeders’ Association show and sale, when selling to Iain Wilson, Cairnglass.

The sale of 3075 ewe lambs and gimmers conducted by Dingwall and Highland Marts saw 671 Highland Mule gimmers average £223.08 with 30 other breed gimmers averaging £182, having sold to £210 for a pen of Cheviot Mules from Achnabat, Torness.

Highland Mule ewe lambs (2347) averaged £145.35 and sold to £205 from Milton Farm, Aberarder, with other breeds of ewe lambs (27) levelling at £132.41, with a top price of £135 paid for Cheviot Mules from Alvie Estate, Kincraig.

The gimmer judge, James Munro, Pitkerrie Farm, found his champion winners in a pen of 20 from D and DM Leslie, Redhill, which he later bought for £260.

Ewe lambs this year were judged by Ian Robertson, Inchcoisie, Huntly, who also backed his decision and bought his champion pen of 20 from Rory Macintyre, Tulloch, for £190.

Ewe lambs sold to £205 for a pen of 20 from K and J Matheson, Milton, Aberarder.

Leading Awards

Mule gimmers – 1, Redhill Farm; 2, Ballindalloch Home Farm; 3, Coxton.

Mule ewe lambs – 1, Tulloch Farm; 2, Milton Farm; 3, Viewhill Farm.

Other Leading Prices

Highland Mule gimmers – Redhill Farm, £260, (x3), £235, (x2), Ballindalloch Home Farm, £250, £235, £225, £220, (x2), Glendoe Estate, £240, (x2), £235, £230, £210, Tulloch Farm, £235, Coxton, £230, (x4), £225, £215, (x2), £200, Balchraggan, £230, Abersky, £230, Alvie Estate, £220, Milton Farm, £220, Achnabat, £210, Gorthleck, £200.

Highland Mule ewe lambs – Milton Farm, £205, £200, (2 for charity one for Highland Hospice and the other for RHET), £190, (x2) £185, (x2), £175, (x3), £170, (x3), £160, £155, (x3), Achnabat, £200, £180, £165, (x2), £155, £150, Tulloch Farm, £190, £185, £165, £160, (x2), Balchraggan, £175, £170, (x2), £165, £160, (x2), £150, Abersky, £165, £160, £155, £150, Cawdor Estate, £155, £150, Gorthleck Mains, £155, Alvie Estate, £150, (x2).

Other breed gimmers – Tex X – £175. CHM – Coxton, £175, Achnabat, £175.

Other breed ewe lambs – CHM – Alvie Estate, £135.

Leading Flock Averages

Farm (No) Top (£) Avg

Mule Gimmers Redhill (89) 260 252.98

Ballindalloch (93) 265 242.10

Glendoe Estate (141) 240 230.21

Abersky (11) 230 230.00

Milton Farm (16) 220 220.00

Ballchraggan (37) 230 213.65

Tulloch Farm (25) 235 207.20

Achnabat (8) 210 196.88

Alvie Estate (50) 220 193.00

Gorthleck Mains (38) 200 190.79

Cawdor Estates (18) 170 147.78

Mule ewe lambs

Achnabat (145) 200 167.76

Viewhill(469) 175 154.59

Tulloch Farm (180) 190 152.92

Ballchraggan (254) 175 151.91

Alvie Estate (50) 150 150.00

Milton of Aberarder (413) 205 148.14

Gorthleck Mains (45) 155 147.00

Abersky (169) 165 136.72

Cawdor Estate (489) 155 129.36

The Arr (132) 145 124.09

Cockermouth

The annual two-day show and sale of breeding females and rams saw a strong trade throughout, with females selling to £330 for the first prize pen of Mule gimmers.

The gimmers from T Hird, Westray, sold to Will and Ed Gate, Rook Farm,

Continental-bred gimmers peaked at £270 for Texel crosses from TI Bradley, Ghyll House.

Ewes sold to £250 for Texels from TW Johnstone, Briary Bank, while Mules peaked at £245 for the champion pen from J and D Mattison, Cragg Farm.

Overall gimmer averages saw Mules cash in at £219 and Texels at £210. Mule ewes levelled at £197 and Texel ewes averaged £206.00.

The multi-breed ram sale the following day saw a 95% clearance with shearling rams averaging £694 and ram lambs at £496. A top price of £1400 was achieved for a Texel cross Beltex shearling ram from Thackwood.

Leading Prices

Ewes – Tex – £250, £250, £240, £235, £230, £220, £210 Briary Bank; £208 Hill Top. Mule – £245 Cragg Farm; £240 Shatton Lodge; £235, £215, £205 Byresteads; £230, £210 Hole Beck; £210 Cathow, £205, £205 Clappers. Suff – £225, £200 Peter House; £200 Westray Farm.

Gimmers – Mule – £330, £260, £255, £250, £245, £245 Westray Farm; £250, £250, £245, £245, £240 Cragg Farm; £250, £248, £242 Milton Mains; £245, £240 Hundith House. Tex – £270, £230 Ghyll House; £265, £255 Byresteads; £260, £260, £250 Greenbank Close; £255, £255, £255 Shatton Lodge; £240 Kirland House; £235 Peter House; £225, £215 Briary Bank; £218 Wright Green. Char – £252 Oulton Hall. Belt – £245 Beech House. Suffolk – £240 Kirland House.

Shearlings rams – Tex x Belt – £1400, £950, £750, Thackwood; £1000, £750, Parkhouse; £850, £750, Beck Farm; £820, Riggingill; £820, Wood Farm; £800, £750, Corney Hall. Tex – £1300, £1100, £1050, £950 x 2, £850 x 3, £800 x 2, £750 x 2, Terrace Farm; £1000, £980, £950, £900, £880, £820, 2, Summerhill; £950 x 2, £920, £900, Rowan Garth; £920, £900, Chapel House; £800, Slatefell Drive; £750 Westray. Belt – £650, Burgh Head; £500, Wood Farm. DTex – £750, £600, Aspatria Hall. Suff – £600, Rowan Garth.

Ram lambs – Suff – £700, Rowan Garth; £600 x 4, £550, Studholme; £550, Burgh Head. Texel – £650, £600 Rowan Garth.