PEDIGREE Limousin bulls sold at Perth on Tuesday to the highest average for an October sale and to a top price of 12,000gns.

The 85 bulls forward at the annual autumn sale for the British Limousin Cattle Society averaged £3,545 a head, up by £647 on the last sale, with 16 selling for 5,000gns or more.

Following on from the successful Carlisle sale on Saturday, the two sales sold a total of 207 bulls to average£3,336.

At Perth, Richard and Paul Byas of Middledale Farm, Kilham, Driffield, had the three highest prices, marking their best sale in eight years at the event.

The 18-month-old bull Middledale Scrooge topped the sale at 12,000gns to Andrew and Kay Watson of Canonbie, Dumfriesshire. The second top price, 10,000gns, took the supreme champion, 19-month-old Middledale Skater, to commercial cattleman Neil Meldrum, of Ballanloch, Banffshire. The Byas' junior champion, Middledale Shergar, sold at 8,000gns to Andrew Burnett, of Blairdrummond, Stirling, and Jim Mitchell, of Doune, Perthshire.

G D Clark, of Mill Hill Farm, Castle Eden, sold Castleden Sputnik, at 6,500gns to John MacPherson and Sons, Inverness.

Harle Bros of Brandon Village, County Durham, paid 5,000gns for the reserve supreme champion, Seaview soprano, from the Misses H and J McCracken.

At the Carlisle sale, four bulls sold at 10,000gns to top the society's autumn show and sale at Borderway mart, with a total of 18 bulls selling at 5,000gns or more.

The overall average was £3,190.31 for 122 bulls (average in 2000 £2,805.15 for 102 bulls).

The award for the Carlisle Three, a group of three weight-recorded, exhibitor-bred bulls, went to Steven Priestley of Hilltop Farm, Denholme, Bradford, for Brontemoor Stantheman, Brontemoor Sting and Brontemoor Sparrowhawk. Stantheman, the show's senior and reserve supreme champion, was sold at the shared top price of 10,000gns to Geraint and Hugh Owen, Tywyn, Gwynedd.