27/12/05 - First National Auction of Single Farm Payment Entitlements

Aberdeen & Northern Marts will stage its first auction of Single Farm Payment entitlements without land at Thainstone Centre on Friday, January 20th.

The company's January start for these sales - which will include standard and set-aside entitlements - comes in the wake of clarification of the rules. The transfer date for the sale has the benefit of offering those actively involved in farming, Business Asset Taper Relief as the asset will have been held for a year, but individual businesses should take advice from their own accountants.

The majority of entitlement trading will take place in a tight window during the first quarter of 2006. In order to trade, entitlements must have been established by the completion of an IACS Single Application Form in 2005 and producers will be able to sell some or all of their entitlements, providing that 80% have been activated and have met the usage rules and conditions of the scheme. Buyers must meet the European definition of a "farmer" at the time of transfer including being involved in an agricultural activity in Scotland.

It should also be noted that entitlements which have been received from the National Reserve cannot be traded until they have been claimed for five years.

Commenting on the first auction, Aberdeen & Northern Marts' general manager John Gregor said: "There has been a great deal of interest from both buyers and sellers, and there has been much speculation about the sale value of the entitlements, with figures from one and a half to three times the value being suggested. But what is clear is that there is likely to be greater demand for higher value entitlements.

"The inaugural sale has already attracted considerable interest from potential bidders and key to its success will be the state-of-the-art eBid @ live auction remote bidding system which allows participation in a live sale from the convenience of any home or office computer, bringing the sale of Single Farm Payment entitlements to a Scotland-wide market.

"The company was a key player in the trading of livestock quota across Scotland and we see the trading of Single Farm Payments in a very similar way. The transparency of the auction mechanism with the combination of live and online bidders will play a large part in establishing the true market value of the transfer of the entitlement to Single Farm Payments."

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27/12/05 - Anniversary Show and Sale starts another busy year

The 2006 farming year will begin at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie on Friday, January 6th.

Marking 16 years since the opening of Thainstone Centre, the anniversary show and sale is being sponsored by award-winning Sauchen-based haulage firm Henry Thomson & Sons and judged by Dunblane man Andrew Jackson of South Lodge, Orchill Home Farm, Braco. The event has attracted an entry of more than 1,200 store cattle.

The 2005 show saw Glenlivet farmers A. & J. Nairn of Clashnoir, Auchnarrow win the championship with a 498kg Limousin cross steer which went on to sell for £680.

"The anniversary show and sale is always a very popular start to a new year of livestock events at Thainstone Centre, and we anticipate that the 2006 event will be no exception," said Aberdeen & Northern Marts' store and breeding cattle manager Allan Taylor. "And with large numbers of prime cattle moving during December, we are confident that feeders will be looking for replacements."

The show will begin at 8.45am and the sale will commence at 10am. The presentation of trophies will take place at 12noon.

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08/12/05 - Classic Championship for Kirriemuir family

Well known exhibitors Bert and Patsy Paton of Glenprosen, Kirriemuir lifted the supreme championship at the 2005 Aberdeen Christmas Classic at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie this week.

The event, which is held by Aberdeen & Northern Marts in conjunction with the Aberdeen Fatstock Association - took place on Monday (December 5th) and Tuesday (December 6th) and the main sponsor was Bank of Scotland.

Gerald David from Somerset judged the haltered prime cattle entries at the 2005 event with Peter Flockhart of Broxburn-based Campbells Fine Foods and Mr David paid the top price of the sale - £4,800 - for Mr and Mrs Paton's champion "Oompa Loompa," a Charolais cross heifer Bred by D. & R Durno, Auchorchan Glenlivet and sired by the Charolais bull Glenlivet Single Malt, the champion tipped the scales at 470kg. It was exhibited by Mr and Mrs Paton's daughter, Wendy Hunter.

The win earned Mr and Mrs Paton the supreme champion's Aberdeen Town Council Perpetual Silver Challenge Cup and £300, both of which were presented by Brian Johnston, head of corporate with the Aberdeen Christmas Classic's main sponsor Bank of Scotland.

And because the champion was purchased at this year's Spectacular, Mr and Mrs Paton also received a cheque for £500 from Aberdeen & Northern Marts' general manager John Gregor.

The Patons also exhibited the butchers' champion, winning the Aberdeen Master Butchers' Association Perpetual Silver Cup and £200 from Quality Meat Scotland. "General Lee" - a 515kg September 2004-born Limousin cross - was bought by Tom Hutchon of Crail butcher J. B. Penman for £4,200.

In addition to his purchase of the supreme champion, Gerald David also bought the 2005 overall reserve supreme, a 660kg September 2004-born Limousin cross named: "Maestro" which was shown by Andrew Anderson of Smallburn Farms, Rothes, Elgin and fetched £2,800.

In the largest entry from young farmers seen in a number of years, the title of overall haltered champion went to Alan Beaumont of Broomhill Park, Kintore and his 570kg Limousin cross was bought for £3,500 by Davidson's, Burn Lane, Inverurie. Commenting on the purchase, John Davidson said: "The company was set up two years ago and prides itself on supporting the local public and farming community by offering customers the best quality local products."

The young farmers' reserve haltered champion came from Steven Smith, Sunnyhill View, Turriff and Allan Carr of the Cambridgeshire-based Royal Blue Meat Company paid £2,000 for the 485kg Belgian Blue cross.

In the prime sheep section, the championship - accompanied by the Norman Wight Perpetual Trophy and £100 from Bank of Scotland - went to Sheep Park Farms, Sheep Park, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly for a pair of 51kg Continental crosses which sold for £280 each to Tom Hutchon of J. B. Penman (Butcher), Crail.

Mr Hutchon was also the buyer of the reserve champions, and he paid £160 each for a pair of 40kg Texel crosses from Wendy Willox, Hawthorn Brae, St Katherines, Fyvie.

Also taking place during the Christmas Classic was a show and sale of pedigree bulls and the overall championship went to J. T. Wilson, Barnyards, Mintlaw, Peterhead for the January 2004-born Charolais "Ugie Van" by Maerdy Oxytone. It sold for 3,600gn to W. & I. Riddoch, Seggiecrook, Grange, Keith.

In the pedigree sheep classes the Texel champion was a gimmer by Haddo Just Right from A. & G. Howie, West Knock, Stuartfield, Peterhead which sold for 600gn to C. & I. Angus, Oldfield, Thurso. The reserve breed champion also headed north, this time to Orknay, after a gimmer by Loosebeare Imp from Graham A. S. Morrison, Inchbruich Farm, Cornhill, Banff was bought by W. Bruce, Greentoft, Deerness, Orkney for 350gn.

Charollais champion - William and Carole Ingram, Logie Durno Farm, Pitcaple, Inverurie took the Charollais championship with a ewe by Castellau Aristocrat which fetched 150gn to L. P. Hazell, Gansclett, Thrumster, Wick. The same buyer paid 120gn for the reserve, a ewe lamb by Logie Durno Eastern Promise from H. E. G. Davies, Hillhead of Cannahars, Whitecairns, Aberdeen.

Fetching 1,000gn to A. Knox, Mid Haddo, Fyvie was the Suffolk champion - a gimmer by Roseden Rock Star from A. J. & A. R. Benzie, Meikle, Whiterashes. The reserve Suffolk champion came from Messrs H. P. Sleigh & Son, St John's Wells, Fyvie, Turriff and their gimmer by Glenhead New Life realised 500gn to Harry Emslie Farmers Ltd, Brae of Coynach, Mintlaw.

The young farmers again provided the finale to the Aberdeen Christmas Classic when 280 of them took part in a stockjudging competition sponsored by Ledingham Chalmers.

2005 Results