Camera at the mart was at Thainstone Livestock Mart in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the main sale yard for Aberdeen and Northern Marts (ANM). According to mart manager John Gregor, last Thursday’s sale saw a good trade for dry cows, prime cattle and fat lambs.
Cull cows were a solid trade, with prices averaging £1.35/kg (€1.61/kg ex VAT). Prime bullocks under 30 months of age averaged £1.98/kg (€2.36/kg ex VAT). Trade was up by around 8p/kg (10c/kg) on the previous week as numbers start to tighten. Top price paid was £2.36/kg (€2.75/kg ex VAT) for a 585kg Limousin bullock.
Prime heifers under 30 months averaged £2.11/kg (€2.52/kg ex VAT) and, as with the bullock trade, prices were up 6p/kg on the previous week, with a top price of 233p/kg (278.2c/kg ex VAT) for a 636kg Belgian Blue animal. Buyers were mainly large-scale finishers and agents buying for factory feedlots.
In the sheep ring, there was a total of 377 lambs for sale. Quality was good and was reflected in price. Fat lambs averaged 189.6p (225.7c/kg ex VAT), which was a slightly firmer trade on the previous week. Top price paid was 205.8p (245.7c/kg ex VAT) for 43kg Texel lambs. Factory agents were the main buyers for fat lambs with animals moving straight for slaughter.