The Cairnton flock from Fraserburgh made the headline price of 75,000gns at the Lanark Suffolk sale of 173 ram lambs, where 12 lots went for five-figure sums prices.
John Gibb’s topper, which was placed third in the open ram class, was sired by Bridgeview Belvenie and is out of a Baileys Rock Solid-sired ewe. He was bought by Stephen Sufferin for his Northern Ireland-based Crewelands flock.
Next on the money list was TJ & CR Boden’s Sportsman flock show champion at 60,000gns which was purchased by Phil Poole for his Shrewsbury-based Salopian flock.
This ram lamb was sired by the 2021 record-breaking 200,000gns Salopian Solid Gold out of a Birness Muzza-sired Ballynacannon ewe.
The third highest price on the day of 40,000gns went to Jim Innes’ Strathbogie flock, with the hammer falling to Stewart Craft, of the Lakeview flock at Glenrothes.
This ram lamb is a Stockton Sniper’s Son-sired tup out of a Castleisle Knockout-sired Strathbogie dam.
Fife’s Stewart Lathangie’s Pyeston pen from Glenrothes secured the next top prices of 38,000gns and 32,000gns for full ET brothers bred from a Birness ewe and by Limestone Marksman.
The first was bought by the Barbour family for their Solwaybank flock based in Dumfriesshire, and his 32,000gns brother was purchased by a syndicate comprising ofthe Howgillfoot, Balquain Kings and Cadgerford flocks.
Trade was also brisk at the female sale, with 16 gimmers averaging £1,822 and five ewe lambs averaging £693.
The top gimmer from D P & RA Delves’ Bridgeview Flock was bought by Northern Ireland breeder M & C McNally for their Benedyglen Flock for 6,200gns and the top price ewe lamb was from JC Innes’ Strathbogie pen, bought for 1,000gns by the Bowdler family for their Tombridge Flock in Shropshire.
In total 173 ram lambs sold – a 22% increase on 2021 – at an average of £3,370 and the clearance rate was 82%.
Suffolk Sheep Society chief executive Robin McIlrath said: “This has been an excellent sale and although the top prices quite rightly take the headlines with 12 five-figure lots, it is also worth noting that 35% of ram lambs sold went to commercial buyers.”