Thainstone Centre
Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ flagship Thainstone Centre
is firmly established as the agricultural centre for the North-east of
Scotland. Many organisations serving the farming industry have a permanent
presence at Thainstone, including the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland,
Scottish Agricultural College and the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs
Department, as well as banks, legal and accountancy practices, animal
feed suppliers, animal health specialists and agricultural machinery companies.
The centre is widely recognised as the most modern auction mart in Europe
as a result of its innovative design features and excellent livestock
handling facilities which ensure the efficient and stress-free handling
of stock, as well as its aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Facilities include three purpose-built sale-rings, a large exhibition
hall, covered accommodation for 3000 cattle or 14,000 sheep (or a combination
of both) and straw-bedded lairage accommodation to rest livestock travelling
from a distance, e.g. Orkney and Shetland.
The centre operates most days of the week with a large indoor and outdoor
market attracting up to 250 car boots and 120 stalls on a Sunday, vehicle
auctions on Monday and Thursday evenings, furniture and antique auctions
on Tuesday, monthly sales of beef and dairy breeding stock on a Wednesday,
prime and OTM cattle and sheep on a Thursday, store cattle, store and
breeding sheep and bulls on a Friday, and occasional sales (seven per
year) of farm machinery, building and industrial equipment and commercial
vehicles on a Saturday.
Major annual sales, such as the Royal Northern Spring Show in February,
the Spectacular show and sale of beef cattle suitable for further showing
in September, and the Aberdeen Christmas Classic in December, and regular
sponsored sales throughout the year, are events of national importance,
attracting the cream of Scottish livestock and a large following of regular
buyers from throughout the UK.
Seasonal shows and sales of pedigree stock, both cattle (beef and dairy)
and sheep, are an important feature of the annual sales programme.
The versatility of the centre and the availability of in-house catering
to a high standard, makes Thainstone an ideal venue for conferences, trade
exhibitions, seminars, concerts, dances and other social functions.