By Ewan Pate, farming editor

SCOTLAND’S AUCTIONEERS have added their collective voice to the call for stronger support for the suckler cow and breeding sheep sectors.

Speaking in Edinburgh yesterday Jack Clark, president of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) said, “The ongoing dispersal of suckler cow herds is a matter of concern. There is a herd of 800 to be dispersed in Aberdeenshire in May.

“Single Farm Payments (SFP) are being used to keep the industry viable and without it there would be no profit. Individual representatives within IAAS have been saying for some time that production subsidies of some sort will need to be reintroduced.

“I believe it is vitally important that we do not see a massive reduction in cow numbers, and the same goes for breeding sheep.”

Looking at the figures released yesterday by IAAS it is easy to see where the concern arises.

Over the 15 weekly markets and the seasonal store sales some 12,000 fewer cattle went through the ring in 2006 compared to the previous year. Out of a total throughput—both prime cattle and stores—of 477,000 this might not seem too high a proportion but it is a worrying trend.

Prime cattle and Over Thirty Month (OTM) numbers totalled 161,057 and store and diary cattle amounted to 316,044.

Sheep numbers showed bigger drops with 1.85 million prime sheep being sold compared to 2.09 million in 2005. Store sheep sales came to 1.13 million compared to 1.22 million.

Fortunately for the auctioneers, values of stock were actually up and this led to an increase in throughput of £8.5 million to £379 million.

Prime sheep values increased by £2 per head to £43.33 and store sheep by £1 to £34.59. Cattle prices were more substantial with prime and OTM up by £30 per head to £523.57 and stores by a healthy £50 per head to £499.22.

Mr Clark is convinced that the proportion of store cattle going through the ring, as opposed to being sold privately, has increased.

He is managing director of John Swan at Newtown St Boswells and at the last store cattle sale there he had noted 38 potential buyers competing for the 650 cattle forward.

“For competitive purposes that certainly beats one buyer. It is price that is bringing these cattle to open market.”

Interestingly the trend of falling numbers does not extend to pedigree stock. Ram sales increased by almost 3000 to 25,191 and bulls by a remarkable 500 to 2282.

This could be explained by a combination of high health status, especially regarding bovine TB, and a strong interest from Wales and Northern Ireland, both of which have subsidised bull purchasing schemes.

Although livestock auctioneering remains at the centre of activities for IAAS members, Mr Clark stressed other activities were becoming more important and a sub-committee has been formed within the organisation for members involved in the increasingly complex areas of arbitration and compensation work.

“These are very important parts of our income now. Overheads are higher than they were and this sort of work helps to cover them.”

There are threats to livestock markets and they are not restricted to the UK. The IAAS has membership of a European association with representatives from 10 countries, although only the UK and Ireland use the auction system. The others use private trading systems at markets.

The viral disease Blue Tongue, once restricted to North Africa, is causing huge concern on the continent. It affects both cattle and sheep but unlike foot-and-mouth disease it is not transferred from animal to animal but carried by midges.

IAAS executive secretary Andrew Wright sees it as a very serious threat.

“One of the main Belgian markets normally has 3000 cattle forward but in the wake of Blue Tongue being confirmed numbers slumped to only 100,” he said.

“If it arrives in the UK it could be more disruptive than foot-and- mouth disease.”