A Blackface ram lamb sold for £85,000 (€95,500) at the annual sale in Lanark mart in Scotland on Friday, October 21.
The two-day sale includes shearlings and ram lambs, with breeders from all over the Republic of Ireland and the UK travelling to the town which is located south of Edinburgh.
The ram lamb which received the top price was bred by the W Dunlop Elmscleugh Blackface herd, which is run by Willie Dunlop and his sons, Quentin and William, from Dunbar in Scotland.
The ram was bought by livestock breeders H and A Blackwood Auldhouseburn and JP Campbell and sons, who are both based within 60km of Lanark in the south of Scotland.
In October 2015, the Dunlop’s sold a Blackface ram lamb which sold for £160,000 (€179,869) in the United Auctions Blackface ram sale in Dalmally, northern Scotland.
At Lanark this year 182 lambs sold, a fall of 13 from a year previous, but the average prices had increased by over £1,100 (€1,235) to a total of £4,229 (€4,750), according to the Blackface Sheep Breeders’ Association.
Meanwhile, other top prices in the ram lamb sale included prices ranging from £12,000 (€13,480) to £52,000 (€58,400).
With regards to the shearling sale two rams made £24,000 (€26,950), with other rams frequently reaching prices between £10,000 (€11,250) and £20,000 (€22,500).
The shearling sale took place on the first day of the sales at Lanark on Thursday, October 20.
A total of 504 lots were sold across two rings, with ring 1 having an average price of £2214 (€2,487) for 285 lots while the second ring had an average price of £546 (€613) for 219 shearling rams.
There are a number of Blackface ram sales yet to go ahead, with two left in Scotland in the first week in November and one in Plumbridge, Co. Tyrone on October 29.
The Scottish Blackfaces are horned with black or black and white face and legs, according to the Blackface Sheep Breeders’ Association.
There are three different types of Blackfaces which have evolved over the years influenced by climate, environment and grazing quality.
