Thainstone's Thursday Sales consist of sales of prime cattle, sheep and OTM cattle.

At Aberdeen & Northern Marts we sell farrow cows from 10am followed by prime cattle about 11.30am, with the ballot to take place at 11am. Prime sheep will be sold from 1pm or immediately after the prime cattle.

Commenting on the first six months of OTM sales, Aberdeen & Northern Marts’ general manager John Gregor said: “As we expected, live auctions are playing an important role in re-establishing the market for farrow cows, collecting animals and sorting them to match the right buyer with the right animal, whether they be feeding cows or well finished animals ready for slaughter.

“At our weekly sale we are seeing the numbers offered for sale from consignors across the North and North East of Scotland steadily growing as these auctions offer them a good platform to get the best price possible. The recent trade has seen cows exported to Northern Ireland and we hope that the reopening of the European export market will lead to further buoyancy over time as export markets build.”

Mr Gregor added: “The new format which we introduced on Thursday, June 8th will undoubtedly enhance our Thursday prime stock sales at Thainstone Centre and will be more convenient for buyers.”

Thainstone’s facilities make it well placed to meet the welfare needs of animals. Those travelling long distances to arrive the day before the sale and animals travelling onwards to abattoirs in the south can both make use of the excellent lairage facilities. In addition, Aberdeen & Northern Marts’ staff are actively assisting consignors of small numbers with the co-ordination of haulage.

Prime and OTM cattle auctioneer Alan Hutcheon added: “There is a definite air of confidence and optimism in the market and that is clearly demonstrated by the averages from the sales. On the return of Over Thirty Month animals to the food chain in November 2007, the average was around 62p/kg and it then raised to about 85p/kg for beef cows, with dairy cows averaging 70p/kg, providing they are reasonably well fleshed. In comparison to the compensation farmers were receiving from the OTMS disposal scheme, we are undoubtedly returning far more money into the pockets of farmers for cull animals.

Ear Tags & Passports
Consignors should note that cattle should be properly tagged, as required by the cattle identification regulations (double-tagged after 1/1/98), and accompanied by a properly completed and signed passport, and/or certificate of CTS registration as required.

Any cattle incorrectly tagged will not be offered for sale. Only ear tags from DEFRA-approved manufacturers are acceptable and these must be clear and easy to read.
Full guidance notes for consignors give details of tagging requirements and identification documents.

Transport & Lairage
Thainstone Centre is well placed to accommodate animals travelling long distances to auction, with grass and housed lairage both available on site.
Aberdeen & Northern Marts’ auctioneers can assist with the organisation of transport and lairage for small groups of animals from all areas, and further information is available by contacting your local auctioneer.

Sales & Entries
Sales of OTM cattle for the food chain will take place at Thainstone Centre every Thursday immediately after the sale of prime cattle, at approximately 12noon.
Entries can be arranged through your local auctioneer and animals should be accompanied by a movement document.

More detailed information on recent auctions is available by viewing
our full OTM sale reports.