A hill Cheviot ram from the Borders secured a breed record at Lairg when he went under the hammer for £28,000.
Attonburn Bonnie Lad was the star of the 260 forward at the United Auctions annual sale on Monday.
The ram is one of more than 2,000 NCCs run by the Rennie family on a 2,800-acre holding in the Bowmont Valley at Yetholm, near Kelso.
The ram was bought from Bowmont Farming Ltd by WN Douglas, Catslackburn, Yarrow and WW Dunlop and Son, Commonside, Hawick.
The cheque was £4,000 more than the previous record paid out at the 2021 sale for a ram, Stouphill 19392 from WD Allen, from Annick.
The average at Monday’s sale was £1,413.96, slightly down on last year.
Donald Young, group director of United Auctions and who oversees the company’s operation in the north of Scotland, said: “Buyers were being very picky about what tup they liked but when they settled on one they liked, they were willing to shell out for them.”
Badanloch fetched the next two highest prices: £12,000 for a ram bought by Coull Estates, Laggan; and £9,000 for one heading to next-door Achentoul Farms Ltd.
Andrew Elliot, Balnakiel, went to £8,500 for one from Linhope Farming Company, Yetholm.
Two fetched £7,000, from Sorbietrees, Newcastleton to Messrs Curwen, Wales; and the other from Bowmont Farming Ltd to Coull Estates.
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