Blackface rams hit six-figure mark at Lanark auction

A phenomenal two-day sale of Blackface rams at Lanark saw four lots break the six-figure barrier and a further 26 hit five-figure prices.

A Blackface breed

The lamb ram sale on day two achieved the majority of top prices, selling up to £130,000, with the sale average lifting by just short of £2000 on the year, to £7665 for 156 lots.

Making the day’s lead price was the pen number one from father and son, Archie and John MacGregor and shepherd David Kinloch, Allanfauld, Kilsyth. Eclipsing the flock’s previous top of £80,000, this year’s star is sired by a full brother to that £80,000 lamb, a home-bred ram named Strike. Out of a ewe by a £5500 Elmscleugh – one of 1500 ewes in the flock – he was knocked down in a two-way split to Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, and Alastair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot.

The MacArthurs had a day to remember themselves, selling their Nunnerie consignment to a top of £125,000 – their best price to-date. Their leader, sired by the £80,000 Allanfauld, which they bought last year, is out of a ewe by a £30,000 Midlock. He sold to a consortium of three buyers – the Dunlops at Elmscleugh, Dunbar; John Murray, Crossflatt, Muirkirk; and Paul Coulson, High Staward, Hexham.

The second Nunnerie lamb in the ring, also by £80,000 Allanfauld, reached £62,000, selling to Allanfauld; Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, Dyke, Milton of Campsie; the Barclays at Harestone; and Eoin Blackwood, Dalblair, Muirkirk, who himself received £32,000 for a lamb earlier in the day.

Lambs from Northern Ireland breeder, John Harkin, Loughash, were in huge demand, selling to £100,000, for a son of a £38,000 Dalchirla, out of a ewe by £11,000 Nunnerie. He sold to the Blackwoods at Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, with Mr Harkin retaining a half share.

The Blackwoods were also final bidders on another Loughash lamb, a son of a home-bred £20,000 Loughash, which sold at £82,000.

The Dunlop family, of Upper Wellwood, Muirkirk, were another team to enjoy their best ever sale, achieving a top of £40,000 for a lamb by a Crossflatt son of £150,000 Auldhouseburn, which sold to the Campbells at Glenrath, Peebles and the Renwicks at Williamhope, Galashiels, with the Dunlops retaining a third share.

Trade also peaked at six-figures on the shearling ram sale day, with the Wight family from Midlock, Crawford, receiving £100,000 for their pen number one, a son of £45,000 Nunnerie, out of a ewe by £24,000 Connachan, which sold to Nunnerie, Glenrath and Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff, with the Wights keeping a quarter share.

Three shearlings hit the £40,000 mark, with the Campbells of Glenrath, another for Jimmy and Donald MacGregor’s Dyke flock while the third was from Burncastle Farming, Lauder, managed by Alan Rogerson.

Overall, 236 shearling rams in ring one sold to average £3487.92 (+£331.83 for two fewer sold), while 129 shearling rams in ring two averaged £495.40 (+£6 for three more sold).

Auctioneer: Lawrie & Symington