Newly appointed Lawrie & Symington interim manager Hamish McCall said yesterday that increasing throughput at the firm’s Forfar Mart would be one of his priorities.
Only in post since Monday, following the announcement last week that managing director Hunter Murray was to retire with immediate effect, Mr McCall admitted it was early days.
He was in Forfar on Wednesday to meet consignors and buyers and said he intends to make the journey north from the company’s Lanark headquarters on a regular basis.
As for his plan for Forfar mart, he said: “It needs to be about developing a robust canvassing strategy. Throughput is the important thing, and complete attention has to be focused on getting stock numbers up.”
Asked about the timescale he said: “We start right away.”
Mr McCall may be new to his job but, with 42 years’ experience behind him, he is not new to the world of livestock auctioneering.
Until 10 years ago he worked with LS Smillie & Son at Strathaven Market, and when the firm was bought by Lawrie & Symington he moved with it.
Since then he has been involved in the property, estates and valuation side of the business, operating from the Lanark office.
Mr McCall was in Forfar to watch a top quality Christmas show and sale.
Joe Greenhill of meat wholesalers AP Jess placed the beef classes and praised “very well fleshed show of butcher’s cattle.”
From the 57-strong entry he selected a 601kg Limousin cross heifer from D Lumgair & Son , Gask, Letham. Father and son David and John Lumgair bought this one at the Caledonian Marts spring show from Archie MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth.
It is by Haltcliffe Underwriter and out of a Limousin cross cow by Silex.
The buyer, Forfar butcher Allan Rennie, had to bid to 410 pence per kg (£2,464 gross) to secure the champion,
The reserve slot was taken by another heifer, this time from Jim Peters and son David from West Bog, Kirriemuir.
This one was a real family affair, having been bred by David’s brother Wilson at Monzie, Crieff.
Now 16 months old and turning the scales at 589kg, the heifer was born a twin by the Limousin sire Windsole Chancer and out of a Limousin cross cow.
It was bought at a United Auctions sale in September for £1,500 with the Christmas show in mind.
The buyer yesterday at 380 ppk (£2,238.20) was butcher Henry Cairns from Law, Carluke.
Stewart Brown, Roepark, Brechin, collected the award for best opposite sex to the champion with a 635kg British Blue sired bullock out of a Limousin cow.
Bought at Thainstone in the spring it sold yesterday to judge Joe Greenhill for 295 ppk (£1873.25).
By the end of the sale 15 steers had sold to average 277 ppk, and 42 heifers had averaged 284 ppk.
The lamb championship was won for the fifth time by H Shanks & Co, Easter Cash, Strathmiglo.
Shepherd Iain Stewart has 1,000 commercial ewes to look after but always takes the time to prepare entries for Forfar.
His winning pen this time consisted of five lightweight Beltex-sired lambs by a tup bought at Lanark from Jim Kennedy, Lyonpark, for 300 gns.
The dams were Texel sired out of Cheviot ewes bred by the Stewarts at Drumfork. The pen sold for £140 each to the judge, Jimmy Stark, Milton of Campsie, Glasgow.
The reserve pen came from last year’s champion Bryan Wylie, Balbrydie, Kiririemuir. These were 45kg Beltex-sired lambs by a home-bred son of the 8,000 gns Kingledores Rascal and out of Beltex cross ewes. These also went to Mr Stark, at £142 each.
The ringside was swelled by P7 pupils from Letham Primary. They watched the sale as part of a food chain walk organised by teacher Liz Langlands.
The pupils had already visited the Lindsay family at Cairnleith, Kirriemuir, to see how beef cattle were produced.
After a talk on the butcher trade by Scott Jarron of Scott Brothers, Dundee, they were off to see the retail end of the chain with Robert Watt, Butchers, in North St, Forfar.
Results:
Cattle
Heifer by A-A sire: 1 George McFadzean, Woodhead of Mailer, Perth; 2 and 3 D&P Murray, Wolflaw, Forfar.
Heifer by Limousin sire, haltered: 1 D Lumgair & Sons, Gask, Letham; 2 JA Peters & Son, West Bog, Kirriemuir; 3 Stewart Brown, Roepark, Little Brechin.
Heifer by Limousin sire (unhaltered): 1 G McFadzean; 2 JA Peters; 3 G MacFadzean.
Heifer by any other sire: 1 G McFadzean.
Pair of heifers: 1 JA Peters; 2 R&A Stoddart, Mill of Inverarity, Forfar; 3 J&A Steel, Craignathro, Forfar.
Pen of four heifers: 1 G McFadzean.
Bullock by A-A sire: 1 G McFadzean; 2 R&A Stoddart.
Bullock by Limousin sire (haltered): 1 D Lumgair & Son; 2 Stewart Brown; 3 D Lumgair & Son.
Bullock by Limousin sire (unhaltered): 1 D Lumgair & Son; 2 G McFadzean; 3 R&A Stoddart.
Bullock by any other sire: 1 Stewart Brown; 2 D Lumgair & Son; 3 DS Stark & Sons South Ballo, Abernyte.
Pair of bullocks: 1 G McFadzean.
Lambs
(all pens of five)
Leicester Cross: 1 and 2 R Simpson & Son, Mains of Creuchies, Alyth.
Cheviot: 1 and 2 Ashmore & Strone Estates, Strathardle.
Blackface: 1 and 2 J Smeaton, Drumyellow, Arbroath.
Texel cross (under 45kg): 1 H Shanks & Co, Easter Cash, Strathmiglo; 2 W Mather & Sons, Shandford, Brechin.
Texel cross (45kg and over): 1 H Shanks & Co; 2 JM Hay & Son, Meikle Tullo, Lethnot.
Suffolk cross: 1 A&J Alston, Drumchapel, Brechin; 2 W Mather & Sons.
Beltex cross (under 45kg): 1 H Shanks & Co; 2 David Stewart, Mains of Dalrulzion, Glen Shee.
Beltex cross (45kg and over): Bryan Wylie, Balbrydie, Kirriemuir; 2 H Shanks & Co.