The Scottish prime lamb market rose this week as Monday’s sale at Ayr saw an average of £2.45/kg liveweight.

Sales at St Boswells and Lanark recorded averages of £2.40/kg on Monday, with Castle Douglas the same on Tuesday. This is a rise of 5p to 10p/kg on the week. Compared with August last year, the price is up almost £15/head.

This followed a poor trade at Thainstone last Thursday, which averaged £2.17/kg. United Auctions on the same day was £2.27/kg.

The price in abattoirs in Scotland is £5/kg deadweight for R grades, which is unchanged on the week. Most abattoirs are paying up to 22kg in Scotland for lamb carcases.

The official Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) price for R3L lambs across the UK is £5.26/kg

The store trade is still strong, with United Auctions selling over 7,400 lambs, with Texels averaging £83/head, up £1.81; Cheviot Mules £76, up £1.83; Mules £73, down 50p; Suffolks £84, down £1; Beltex £85, down £1.53; Cheviots £69, down £1.84; and Blackface £57, no change.

Aberdeen Northern Marts sold 1,242 lambs, which averaged £73/head. There were 438 lambs from Shetland, which averaged £77/head, and 446 lambs from the Isle of Lewis, which averaged £68/head.

St Boswells Mart sold 724 store lambs at its first sale of the season which averaged £80/head.

Beef price still £4.15/kg

The price paid for R grading steers in Scottish abattoirs remains between £4.10/kg and £4.20/kg.

The AHDB beef price for an R4L steer is still at £4.24/kg for the third week. This is a national average and includes all breed and organic bonuses.

Same-grade heifers were £4.22/kg, which is down 2p on the week. The young bull price is £4.11/kg deadweight, up 1p/kg.

AHDB’s official price for cows is unchanged on the week at £3.19/kg for an 0-4L.

Thainstone sold 824 store cattle which averaged £2.37/kg for steers and £2.29/kg for heifers. The top price on the day was £1,620 for a 786kg Charolais-cross steer.

United Auctions sold 867 store cattle, with steers the same price as last week, averaging £2.29/kg, and heifers averaged £2.25/kg, up 6p/kg.

Annandale dispersal

Last week, the Annandale herd from Milton Farm near Moffat was dispersed by Harrison and Hetherington.

Around a quarter of all the cattle was sold to Northern Ireland.

Trade topped at 10,000gns for a red and white two-year-old with almost 200 animals selling for more than £2,000 and demand for Annandale bulls was strong, with a top price of 8,000gns.

On the day, 172 cows and heifers in milk sold for an average of £2,222/head, 82 in-calf heifers for £1,763/head, 40 bulling heifers for £1,428/head, 106 heifer calves for £1,226 and seven bulls for £3,645.