logo
Biggar buyer pays £4,200 for champion Luings at Dingwall Mart

Biggar buyer pays £4,200 for champion Luings at Dingwall Mart

There were buyers from near and far at Luing Cattle Society's 17th annual Spring Breeding Sale.
Held at Dingwall Mart, the event saw a total of 73 pedigree and commercial Luing changing hands. A similar number of breeding cattle also attracted plenty of interest.
Buyers were geographically widespread, with some cattle going to the south of Scotland and others to Orkney.
The clearance rate was 100% for females and 50% for bulls, with sale averages for all classes up on the year.
There were 58 pedigree Luing bulling heifers forward. They achieved an average of £3,132.80 – up by more than £1,000 year-on-year.
And they sold to a top of £4,200 per animal for a pair of polled Finlarg Ziggy daughters, consigned by AC & AL McCall, of Culmaily Farm, Golspie.
These were bought by EJ & AM Fox, of St John's Kirk Biggar.
The two heifers had entered the sales ring after being named champion pair in a show judged by Colin Little of East Bracklinn, Callander.
The McCall family also had the next two highest prices, £4,095 and £3,990, again for Finlarg Ziggy daughters.
The first pair at 3,900gns went home with J Jardine, of Dalbeattie. The second pair at 3,800gns were knocked down to S & L Dodd, of Tundergarth Mains, Lockerbie.
Local breeder Graeme MacRae, of the Kintail herd at Newton of Ferintosh, Mulbuie, had a single pair on offer. These were snapped up by Messrs Brims, of Caithness, for £3,885.
Meanwhile, Tom Lyth brought six heifers all the way from Heatherhouse Farm in Orkney. These sold for £3,225, on average, with a top of 3,700gns achieved for Tom's pre-sale reserve pair.
Scott and Farquhar Renwick, of Inverbroom, also has a consignment of six. These averaged £3,535, selling to a top of £3,885 for a pair that were purchased by Messrs Jardine, of Dalbeattie.
Elsewhere, Rory Cameron, of Monzie, Perthshire, had a run of six heifers which averaged £3,150. The best were a pair sold for £3,465 to Messrs Brims, of Caithness.
Similarly, a small consignment of Sim-Luing bulling heifers sold to a top of £1,746, consigned by AC & AL McCall, which re[presented an uplift of £621 from a year ago.
Three in-calf cows consigned by Gary Mackenzie of Fanblair, near Beauly, all in-calf to Sutherland Brora and due in July, averaged £2,345 and sold to a top of £2,625.
Bulls sold to a top of £4,200 and averaged £3,675, similar to last year's trade.
There were four of them forward, with two finding new homes.
David McLaughlin, of Lewis, sold his homozygous polled Nunnerie Young Gun son for £4,200 to I & W Sutherland, of Strathnaver.
The last bull in the Luing Cattle Society sale catalogue was Lochbroom Commando, a heterozygous polled Commonside Scania son which sold for £3,150 to Ardtornish Estate.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Biggar buyer pays £4,200 for champion Luings at Dingwall Mart
Biggar buyer pays £4,200 for champion Luings at Dingwall Mart

Press and Journal

time15-05-2025

  • Press and Journal

Biggar buyer pays £4,200 for champion Luings at Dingwall Mart

There were buyers from near and far at Luing Cattle Society's 17th annual Spring Breeding Sale. Held at Dingwall Mart, the event saw a total of 73 pedigree and commercial Luing changing hands. A similar number of breeding cattle also attracted plenty of interest. Buyers were geographically widespread, with some cattle going to the south of Scotland and others to Orkney. The clearance rate was 100% for females and 50% for bulls, with sale averages for all classes up on the year. There were 58 pedigree Luing bulling heifers forward. They achieved an average of £3,132.80 – up by more than £1,000 year-on-year. And they sold to a top of £4,200 per animal for a pair of polled Finlarg Ziggy daughters, consigned by AC & AL McCall, of Culmaily Farm, Golspie. These were bought by EJ & AM Fox, of St John's Kirk Biggar. The two heifers had entered the sales ring after being named champion pair in a show judged by Colin Little of East Bracklinn, Callander. The McCall family also had the next two highest prices, £4,095 and £3,990, again for Finlarg Ziggy daughters. The first pair at 3,900gns went home with J Jardine, of Dalbeattie. The second pair at 3,800gns were knocked down to S & L Dodd, of Tundergarth Mains, Lockerbie. Local breeder Graeme MacRae, of the Kintail herd at Newton of Ferintosh, Mulbuie, had a single pair on offer. These were snapped up by Messrs Brims, of Caithness, for £3,885. Meanwhile, Tom Lyth brought six heifers all the way from Heatherhouse Farm in Orkney. These sold for £3,225, on average, with a top of 3,700gns achieved for Tom's pre-sale reserve pair. Scott and Farquhar Renwick, of Inverbroom, also has a consignment of six. These averaged £3,535, selling to a top of £3,885 for a pair that were purchased by Messrs Jardine, of Dalbeattie. Elsewhere, Rory Cameron, of Monzie, Perthshire, had a run of six heifers which averaged £3,150. The best were a pair sold for £3,465 to Messrs Brims, of Caithness. Similarly, a small consignment of Sim-Luing bulling heifers sold to a top of £1,746, consigned by AC & AL McCall, which re[presented an uplift of £621 from a year ago. Three in-calf cows consigned by Gary Mackenzie of Fanblair, near Beauly, all in-calf to Sutherland Brora and due in July, averaged £2,345 and sold to a top of £2,625. Bulls sold to a top of £4,200 and averaged £3,675, similar to last year's trade. There were four of them forward, with two finding new homes. David McLaughlin, of Lewis, sold his homozygous polled Nunnerie Young Gun son for £4,200 to I & W Sutherland, of Strathnaver. The last bull in the Luing Cattle Society sale catalogue was Lochbroom Commando, a heterozygous polled Commonside Scania son which sold for £3,150 to Ardtornish Estate.

Martin Lewis travel money advice on specialist overseas card
Martin Lewis travel money advice on specialist overseas card

Glasgow Times

time11-05-2025

  • Glasgow Times

Martin Lewis travel money advice on specialist overseas card

"Don't pay to pay," he says in his Money saving Expert newsletter. "We're heading for summer, and if you're planning to go abroad, there are a host of hidden costs to avoid - however you pay. "A set of specialist overseas cards give you the same near-perfect exchange rates the banks get, every time you travel (so sort it now, and you needn't do it again)." Recommended reading: Should I withdraw cash in pounds or the local currency? When abroad, always pay and withdraw cash in the local currency, not pounds. With these cards, you only get the special rate if the card does the conversion. So if overseas ATMs/shops ask: "Do you want to convert to pounds?", say no. Martin explains: "If you have, or get, a specialist overseas card, then there is no doubt that using it and paying in euros is always correct (though do ensure you repay in full to minimise the interest). Going outside of EU in the next couple of weeks? If so & uv never used an E-Sim to cut mobile costs, we'd love to talk to you so we can film & you can report back your +ve or -ve experience for my @itvMLshow Travel Special. Interested? pls email the team at martinlewis@ — Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) April 28, 2025 "Yet even without one of these, if you're using your plastic abroad, while the chart shows with one bank there's a very minor gain for paying in pounds – it's negligible. Whereas get it wrong, and you can lose out a lot. So for safety and simplicity's sake, the golden rule is: If using a card and you're asked whether you want to pay in pounds or pay in local currency (eg, Euros) always say the local currency (the same almost certainly applies US dollars when in the States or other currencies elsewhere too)." What else do I need to think about before I travel? Don't forget to buy travel insurance - ideally buy this as soon as you book your holiday in case you fall ill or something stops you being able to go on holiday. Also, there's still time to order a GHIC card, but be quick. The UK GHIC is a key benefit that lets Brits get necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area (EEA), and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. This may be free or it may require a payment equivalent to that which a local resident would pay. It replaced the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). And, think about your mobile deal - do you need an eSim? Want to lock in the rate today, rather than on the day you spend? The advice is to get a prepaid travel card. Specialist prepaid cards let you load on to them in advance, and choose the day the currency's converted. So you're taking a punt on how you think rates will move.

Ask the expert: Why must we pay a higher rate of car tax?
Ask the expert: Why must we pay a higher rate of car tax?

Telegraph

time06-05-2025

  • Telegraph

Ask the expert: Why must we pay a higher rate of car tax?

Dear Alex, When we ordered our Toyota RAV4 in 2022, we had intended to get a 4x4 model, but in the end opted for a two-wheel-drive to bring the new cost below £40,000 and thereby be liable for the lower road tax. The car was eventually delivered 13 months after the order was placed; our dealer honoured the original price, due to delays caused by the war in Ukraine. One year after delivery we were charged vehicle excise duty (VED) by the DVLA at the higher rate. Both Toyota and the DVLA say nothing can be done because the list price at the time of delivery was indeed over £40,000. If so, we would surely have specified the car with four-wheel drive as originally intended. Is this right? – AC Dear AC, You have been caught out by a loophole in the current car tax (VED) laws, which an increasing number of drivers are also experiencing. What's happened is that you ordered the car at one price, yet by the time it has been delivered, Toyota adjusted its prices to keep pace with inflation, taking the list price for your model over the £40,000 'luxury tax' threshold. A manufacturer increasing the list price while a car is on order is, of course, nothing new. Usually, it's dealt with by the dealer applying a discount to bring the price down to the amount agreed when the car was ordered. However, the rules are very clear about which price your car's tax rate is to be based on – it's the list price at the time of delivery. In other words, the price you agree when you order the car is irrelevant to the DVLA. And while it will happily take optional extras into account if they bump that list price above the £40,000 threshold, it won't do the same with discounts that take the price below it. For example, if you order a car costing £39,000 but its list price is £41,000 by the time it's delivered, you'll still be taxed at the higher rate – even if the dealer takes off £2,000 to match the price you agreed. And there is nothing you can do about it, I'm afraid. It's just one more unintended consequence of the current, rather daft new car VED system. For any other readers hoping to order a car whose list price falls just below the £40,000 threshold, yours is a salutary tale.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store