Video sales in Scotland – and now Wales

By FWi staff

THE first video sale at Llandovery, in Wales is set for 12 June, while in Scotland, St Boswells market has seen its second.

More than 500 store cattle from 48 farms will go under the hammer at Llandovery Rugby Club in Carmarthenshire.

Normal market procedures will operate, but buyers will have to depend on video pictures of groups of cattle commissioned by auctioneers Clee Tompkinson and Francis.

The company says the auction aims to ease welfare problems on farms that are overstocked because of movement restrictions, and to allow producers to generate some income.

The sale starts at 6pm.

In Scotland, John Swan & Sons held its second video-linked livestock sale of ewes with lambs, ewe hoggs, breeding and store cattle at St Boswells livestock centre in Roxburghshire last week.

Ewes with twin lambs at foot sold to 18/live life and Scotch Mule ewe hoggs traded up to 62 apiece.

Other principal prices were breeding heifers with calves at foot trading at 1000/head, while bulling heifers changed hands at the 500 mark.

Store trade reflected good demand again with 330-350kg Simmental cross bullocks nearing 12 months old topping the market at 130p/kg.

Limousin crosses of the same weight and age went for 116-117p/kg.

Meanwhile, Aberdeen and Northern Marts video sale at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, last Friday saw good prices for grazing cattle.

Bigger, more forward cattle were slower trade and harder to shift.

In total, 561 stores changed hands, with steers selling to 176p/kg, averaging 141p/kg. Heifers topped at 124p/kg, levelling at 113p/kg.

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