JK Consultancy

One of Scotland’s best-known cooks and food writers, Lady Claire Macdonald OBE, is set to put Scotch Blackface Lamb on the menu when she visits Dalmally Mart for the first time this week.

United Auctions will welcome Lady Macdonald to their Annual Show and Sale of 9000 Blackface Wedder Lambs, Cross Bred Lambs and Feeding Sheep on Saturday, 10^th September 2016.

The visit to the event, recognised as the most important Blackface Lamb sales in Argyll, forms part of her role as “Lambassador”, supporting Quality Meat Scotland’s ongoing promotional activities behind Scotch Lamb PGI.

The Queen of Cuisine will have the ‘farm to plate’ experience during her visit to Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers’ facility in the West.

She will meet farmers from Argyll and the Islands, view the quality of livestock on offer and present the James Weir Memorial Trophy for the best pen of Blackface lambs.

And she will have the chance to taste and serve up Blackface Lamb rolls to customers at the Farm Assured mart, courtesy of Oban Spit Roast. The Lamb will be supplied from Farm Assured holding and regular customers Angus MacFadyen & Son of Bragleenmore Farm, by Oban – who are also competing for the trophy on the day – and sourced through Farm Assured company Jackson Bros. Master Butchers – Oban, who have a long association with the local farming community and United Auctions.

Lady Claire Macdonald, who is internationally recognised as a leading advocate of Scottish food and produce, said: “I am really looking forward to my first visit to Dalmally Mart and to experience the wonderful atmosphere which accompanies such a large show and sale.

“One thing which always comes through during these events is the pride farmers and auctioneers take in the quality of the livestock and stockmanship skills.

“Scotch Lamb is a gem in Scotland’s rich larder and I can’t wait to serve up and sample some fabulous locally-produced Blackface lamb rolls!”

Donald Morrison, Area Managing Director for Argyll and the Islands said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lady Macdonald to Dalmally and one of our key sales in this busy season which boasts a strong line-up of high quality stock. With Blackface Wedder Lambs leading this sale, it is a good chance to see the food chain in action first hand.”

Auctioneer for the West of Scotland, Peter Wood said: “Lady Macdonald’s first visit to Dalmally will help show the importance of the market system in the food chain and I’m sure she will enjoy speaking to customers in what we anticipate will be a packed sale ring.”

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Issued by JK Consultancy on behalf of United Auctions. For further information, please contact

Jenny Kumar on 07989 557198 / jenny@jkconsultancy.com

Notes to editor

The James Weir Memorial Trophy was introduced in 2010 to honour the late leading livestock auctioneer. Donated by Mrs Weir in memory of her husband, it is an annual prize at the sale to mark Jimmy’s involvement and passion for the area and the mart.

About United Auctions

United Auctions (UA) are Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers and procurement specialists and operate a network of different auction markets across Scotland, including Stirling, Huntly, Lairg, Dalmally, Tiree, Islay, South Uist and an area office and lairage facility at Oban. The company conducts auctions of both commercial and pedigree livestock, including the world-famous Stirling Bull Sales, and provides farm-to-farm and farm-to-abattoir procurement services. In 2013, UA was named in the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’.

United Auctions’ Annual Blackface Ram Sale at Dalmally Mart was “electric” on Saturday, October 11^th as a top price of £40,000 was achieved in a ringside that was packed to the rafters.

The sale topper was from renowned breeder Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff – who bred the record-breaking £90,000 tup sold at Dalmally in 2010 – for his second shearling through the ring.

It went to three buyers J Wight & Sons of Midlock, M E McCall Smith of Connachan, Crieff and Troloss Farms, Elvanfoot.

Next best was £20,000 from E MacMillan, Lurg Farm, Fintry sold to J Wight & Sons of Midlock and CC MacArthur & Co, Nunnerie.

Nunnerie themselves topped the lamb ring to £16,000, selling four ways to JR MacGregor (Dyke) Ltd; Duncan MacGregor Ltd, Burnhead; HA Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk and J Murray, Crossflat, Muirkirk.

Meanwhile Dalchirla made the second best lamb price of £14,000 bought by David Morrison, Dalwyne:

Dalmally auctioneer for the West of Scotland, Peter Wood, who sold the top ram said: “It was an electric sale for Dalchirla, drawing a crowd packed to the rafters, both to bid and see how much the stock would fetch.”

The busy sale kicked off at 10am in the shearling ring with UA’s new auctioneer and Argyllshire son, Raymond Kennedy, starting proceedings in his dynamic style:

By this point hungry farmers had already munched through 800 breakfast rolls while later they enjoyed fish and chips in the autumn sunshine and made good use of the marquee bar.

Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers sold 172 lambs to average £1021 (down £82 for 26 more sold) and 522 shearlings & aged rams to average £746 (down £38 to 37 more sold on the year).

Mr Wood added: “Overall, the quality of tups was of a high standard with good carcase sheep in great demand from start to finish for the full eight hours’ trading while smaller types were harder to cash.”

One local breeder who “got what he wanted” was John MacPherson of J & J MacPherson, Balliemeanoch, Dalmally. He was “delighted” when his first shearling through the ring fetched £5000 (pictured top), which was split three ways to S McClymont & Son, Tinnis, Selkirk, Burncastle Farming Company, Burncastle, Lauder and RF Lambie, Ashcraig, Selkirk and was “happy with the prices” for all stock forward in both rings.

John is the third of four generations of MacPhersons farming around 1600 Blackfaces on 6200 acres near Loch Awe. He now works with his son Alec and was watched on at the sale by his father Ian, who is retired. Ian inherited the farm from his father (Alec’s great grandfather) John MacPherson and remembers coming to the Dalmally sales as a teenager in the late 1940s.

If you have any old photos of Dalmally Mart in action, please email them to oldphotos@uagroup.co.uk or post a copy to Dalmally Market Photo Appeal, United Auctions, Stirling Agricultural Centre, Stirling FK9 4RN, including any information about the photograph, your name and contact details.

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Tag Archives: Dalmally Auction Market

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