Carcases will be paid up to 22kg for 2021 spring-born lambs at Woodheads abattoirs which is part of Morrisons supermarkets.

Until now, lambs and hoggets have been paid up to 21kg, with penalties for heavier carcases. But 2020-born hoggets still to be sold will continue to be paid up to 21kg.

Scottish abattoirs have pulled prices, with many cutting the R grade price from £7/kg to £6.40/kg.

The live ring also saw many sales back 5p/kg to 10p/kg in the live ring, with Monday’s sales at Ayr, Lanark and St Boswells all averaging £2.82/kg to £3/kg and Tuesday’s sales all under £3/kg.

Last Thursday, United Auctions at Stirling sold over 2,500 hoggets, which averaged £2.97/kg down 13p/kg and 29 spring lambs, which averaged £3.28/kg.

Across Scotland, the average for the week ending 24 April was £2.97/kg for medium-weight hoggets. Spring lamb averaged £3.07/kg, but only 126 were sold.

Thainstone sold 900 ewes with lambs at foot this week, which averaged £77/life, with a high of £108/life

The official Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) price for across GB for the same week was £6.80/kg for an R3L carcase, which is down 4/kg. The kill across the UK is down 5% to just under 23,000.

The ewe price in Scotland is £97/head, which is down £2 on the week for almost 3,200 sold.

Thainstone sold 900 ewes with lambs at foot this week, which averaged £77/life, with a high of £108/life. United Auctions at Stirling also sold ewes and lambs, which ranged from £72/life for Cheviots up to £99 for Texel hoggets.

Beef farmers are being offered £4.32/kg for R 4L carcases in Scottish abattoirs under 400kg.

Finished cows were reported by the AHDB at £3.04/kg for an 0-4, which is up 1p/kg on the week

The AHDB Scottish beef price is again the highest on record at £4.26/kg for an R4L steer, which is a rise of 1p/kg. Same-grade heifers were £4.28/kg, which is up 2p on the week. The young bull price is up 1p/kg to £4.14/kg.

Finished cows were reported by the AHDB at £3.04/kg for an 0-4, which is up 1p/kg on the week. Across marts in Scotland, cull cows averaged £1.51/kg, a rise of 1p, with 554 sold through marts.

Store cattle

Thainstone sold 1,682 store cattle last Friday, with steers averaging £2.54/kg, down 5p/kg, and heifers £2.48/kg, down 3p/kg. While prices might have slipped on the week, the average weight per animal was up 20kg.

Calved heifers with a calf at foot averaged £2,490 for a bull calf and £2,418 for a heifer calf

United Auctions in Stirling sold 1,737 stores, with steers averaging £2.53/kg, up 2p, and heifers £2.50/kg, up 6p. They also sold cows with calves at foot for £1,720 to £2,100 per outfit.

There was a sale of 314 adult breeding cattle at Thainstone this week.

Calved heifers with a calf at foot averaged £2,490 for a bull calf and £2,418 for a heifer calf. Cows with a calf at foot averaged £1,650. The top price on the day was £3,350 for a Simmental-cross heifer with a bull calf.

Fodder sale

Thainstone sold 1,530 bales of fodder, with 4ft inside barley straw selling for £14.50/bale, hay £17.50/bale and silage sold to £9.50/bale.

Carlisle Mart was selling mini hestons of wheat straw at £150/t, which is up £15/t on the week.