Perth Ram Society Sale

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Perth Ram Society Sale 2022

averages: 166 shearling rams, £1010.00 (-£95.81 for six fewer sold); 40 ram lambs, 1451.00 (-£374.71 for five more)

North or Perth-type Blackface sheep breeders went home in a relatively buoyant mood following the breed's ram sale at Stirling, which saw a near 100% clearance with top prices of £14,000 and £10,000 for ram lambs and shearlings, respectively.

The sale which attracted an increased number of buyers from most of the Scottish islands, Northern Ireland and as far south as Lancashire and Yorkshire, did however see averages fall on year, but then last year's event saw top prices of £18,000 twice, for a lamb and a yearling.

It was later in the day before breeders got a chance to catch a glimpse of the £14,000 ram lamb sale leader from David Baillie and son David's Calla flock from Carnwath, purchased by Tom and Mairi Paterson and son Robert, Craigneich, Comrie.

Champion at the pre-sale show, their top seller is by the 8500gns Thomas Harkin lamb bought at Ballymena in 2020 in partnership with Hillhead of Morinish and out of a ewe by a 5500gns Conway – the exact same genetics behind last year's £18,000 top priced lamb from Calla purchased by the Smiths of Scar Hill.

The other five-figure price of £10,000 was paid for the reserve shearling champion from Matthew Hamilton and son Matthew, Woolfords, West Calder, when their No 2 which was also the second tup to go through the north ring, was purchased by Irish breeders, Paul McEvoy, Kilcoo, Co Down; Sean McCusker, and M McAleer, Pomeroy, Dungannon. Second in his class at the National Show here at the end of July, this big fella is by the £4000 Woolfords sold to Cloughfin last year and out of a ewe by a £10,500 Achdregnie.

The same £4000 Woolfords sire was behind a £5000 shearling from the Hamiltons, when Isle of Arran breeder, Jim Brown, Corriecravie, Sliddery, bought the family's No 5, bred from a ewe by a £700 Craigneich.

Woolfords also received £3800 from Cathal Breslin, Cronkeerin, Ardara, for a son of a £3000 Achdregnie, out of a £9000 Woolfords-sired dam.

On the debit side, the Hamiltons went to £4000 for the No 2 shearling from the Paterson's Craigneich flock from Comrie, which enjoyed a cracking trade throughout. The £4000 tup is by a £1400 Newmill sire bought here in 2019 and out of a ewe by a £10,000 Auchnacloich.

Craigneich also produced the second highest priced shearling at £8000 – twice! First was the pen leader, a son of a £1400 Calla lamb bought here in 2020, out of a ewe by a £5000 Hillhead. He was knocked down to Pamela Nicol of Doldy Farms, Glenisla.

Bert Grant, Glendamph, Glenisla, bought the second £8000 shearling from the Patersons. His pedigree features a £2000 Achdregnie shearling purchased in 2020, onto a ewe by a £3800 Achdregnie.

The champion shearling from Cadogan Estates' Auchnacloich enterprise at Amulree managed by Archie MacKinnon and son Ben, made £5000 selling to the Baillies at Calla. Backed by the best of bloodlines, this tup which also stood male champion at the National Show, is by a £10,000 Woolfords shared with Tom Adams that stood champion at the pre-sale show here in 2019. The dam, a former show ewe, is by an £1800 Hillhead of Morinish.

The breeders of the sire of the dam, John Shearer and sons Gavin and Neil, who farm away up near Glenlivet, had a great sale for their shearlings and tup lambs, with the former peaking at £4000 for another by the 8500gns Thomas Harkin lamb bought at Ballymena, which last bred sons to £10,000 for Hillhead of Morinish. Craigneich forked out the cash for this tup bred from a ewe by a £7000 Achdregnie.

The 500-ewe flock at Hillhead also produced the second highest priced lamb at £9000 purchased by Woolfords and the Conway brothers, George and John, Plumbridge, Omagh. Sired by a £1400 Craigneich, he is out of a daughter of a £7000 Achdregnie.

Relatively new breeder, Scott Robertson, a joiner to trade who runs just 40 Blackie ewes in his Avonside flock alongside small flocks of Jacob and Bluefaced Leicesters at Tomintoul, enjoyed his best trade to date too, taking £7000 from Auchnacloich. Selling at this price for Mr Robertson's third year at Stirling, was a son of the £1200 Scar Hill tup bought last year, out of a home-bred ewe by an Achdregnie tup used on loan by a 420gns Conway. Third at the National breed show here, he was also male champion and reserve overall at Banchory.

Next best at £4800 was the firm of NG and AM Kydd's No 2 from Glenhead, Glenisla, purchased by Stephen Duncan and son Stephen, Achdregnie, Glenlivet and Sandy and Steven Smith, Scar Hill, Knowehead, Glenkindie. His sire is a £2500 shearling bought here last year from Craigneich, while the dam is a home-bred ewe and one of 1100 in the flock.

More than financing that half share purchase, Scar Hill took £4000 from Hillhead of Morinish for a lamb by last year's £18,000 Calla lamb, bred from a ewe by a £380 Bomakelloch.

Top price for Achdregnie, was £2800 for a shearling ram by a £1600 Woolfords, purchased by Gaich Farms, Grantown on Spey. The family sold 21 north-type shearlings rams to average £1019.05 and 16 south-type shearlings to average four figures.

FLOCK averages

Flock (No) Top (£) Average

Shearling rams

Woolfords (12) 10,000 2125.00

Newmill (5) 1000 875.00

Craigneich (14) 8000 2225.00

Maryton (5) 700 560.00

Markethill (6) 900 633.33

Auchnacloich (15) 5000 930.00

Scar Hill (13) 2000 819.23

Tornacloch (6) 500 375.00

Glendamph (11) 2000 986.36