Howgillfoot ram lamb sells for 40,000gns in Lanark

The Lanark Suffolk sale has always been a major event in the calendar of Suffolk breeders across the globe and this year was no different, with many breeders travelling from near and far to Lanark Agricultural Centre.

Like most sales in the UK at the minute, bluetongue restrictions have put a bit of a dampner on sale numbers and average prices. Judge for the young handler and the elite commercial class was Andrew Morton and judge for the main classes was Mark Priestley.

Bluetongue didn’t stop the sale hitting a high of 40,000gns (€48,409). This top price was achieved by a stand-out ram lamb from the father and daughter duo of Richard and Lilia Hutchinson.

He also stood out as the overall champion in the pre-sale show. This champion lamb was sired by the 30,000gns Howgillfoot Commander and his dam was a Limestone ewe that was sired by the 26,000gns Forkins McCoy. It was a last-minute bid from Messsrs Innes from the well-known Strathbogie flock that secured this mega lamb.

The Hutchinson family sold their second Commander son for 15,000gns (€18,161).

This time the lamb was out of a homebred ewe that was sired by Crewlands Captain Crusader. It was Charlie Bowden from the Sportsmans flock that secured the winning bid.

The second-highest price of 18,000gns (€21,782) was achieved by a ram lamb from Welsh breeder Myfyr Evans of the Rhaeadr flock.

This serious-bodied lamb was the first ram lamb to be sold off the 16,000gns Kings ewe lamb. Rhaeadr Northern Champ will head back down to Wales with his buyer Arnold Oare of the Groes flock.

The title of reserve champion in the pre-sale show was awarded to a quality ram lamb from the Cairnton flock of John Gibb.

This lamb was sired by the Irish-bred ram Annakisha Bright Eye and his dam was a daughter of Bridgeview Belvenie. He was then sold in the sales ring for 12,000gns (€14,527) in a five-way split to the Cairness, Birness, Cranorkie and Haymount flocks with a share also retained by Gibb.

Welsh man Paul Delves of the Bridgeview flock also had an extremely successful sale, selling his leading lamb for 11,000gns (€13,306) to Myfyr Evans of the Rhaeadr flock. This powerhouse of a lamb was sired by Limestone Online the 2024 Suffolk sire of the year and his dam was a Solwaybank Rock Solid daughter.

Delves’s second ram lamb followed closely behind selling for 10,000gns (€12,095). This bright lamb was sired by the 11,000gns Limestone Dare Devil and his dam is a homebred ewe that goes back to Sportsmans Masterplan. He was snapped up by the Iain and Judith Barbour of the Solwaybank flock.

Shearling ewes

Ram lambs

Averages