The auction mart lies at the heart of Scotland’s farming community – and Dingwall and Highland Marts is celebrating the diversity of people and businesses that make it thrive as part of its 20th anniversary year.

Supporting hundreds of farmers and crofters across the north of Scotland and the Western Isles, Dingwall Mart and its satellite markets including Portree, Lochmaddy, Stornoway and Ben Nevis, sells around 20,000 cattle and 220,000 sheep annually.

Underpinning its role as a community mart, Dingwall has more than 600 shareholders of its 95,500 shares, including farmers, crofters and the network of other rural businesses and people involved.

More than 40 people work at Dingwall Mart, and from the farmers to the hauliers, the yard staff to the auctioneers and the canteen staff to the office team, it supports hundreds of rural jobs as well as providing a vital social hub for the farming community.

“This place is a family, it really is. There has been a succession of people through here who have really cared about the mart and all it stands for,” says John Fyall, a former auctioneer and director of Highland Rural, a land consultancy and part of Dingwall Mart.

“It is a community hub, and we can’t stress enough how important the marts are for those living in rural places as well as the economy.”

He adds that if they disappear, there is nothing like them: “Agriculture is quite unique as an industry, because of our geographical spread – we can’t go to business meetings or team-building sessions, everybody focuses round the sales.

“If we don’t look after the marts, we could end up where we were in 1880s with just a small group of buyers controlling a lot of the market. We need to keep that competition in the marketplace to make sure everyone is getting a fair price to live on and invest in.”

Celebrating 20 years selling livestock on its current site, chair of Dingwall Mart Ewan MacDonald, who also sells around 300 cattle and 3000 sheep through the ring annually, explains the range of operations now at the mart.

“We have a very diverse business now compared to what we were 25 years ago, but we needed to adapt, as the industry is changing a lot.

“As well as the large farming enterprise, we have renewables, we have started a division with Highland Rural for property and land management, Fraser Auction Rooms run the furniture side, and we have large machinery sales, half a dozen times a year.

“We are always looking to progress and stay relevant, to innovate and, as part of this, we are keen to see electronic tagging become the norm to streamline the buying and selling of livestock.”

Dingwall is a longstanding member of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers (IAAS). It advocates for its members, raising awareness of the crucial role of the livestock market system in Scotland’s rural economy and working with government to further the interests of the sector.

The Institute also supports the professional development of its members both individually and as businesses to drive greater throughput and turnover.

As young people consider their career path, Neil Wilson, executive director of IAAS, reiterates the career opportunities in marts and why it is ideal for those who enjoy working with people.

“We run a course and professional qualification for auctioneers in conjunction with Harper Adams, which supports their professional development and encourages career progression while young people are working at the marts.

“Dingwall, like most marts in Scotland, puts its young auctioneers through the course to give them a solid foundation and kudos in the industry. It’s a sociable job, with every day different and the chance to get out and about on farm as well as sell in the ring.

“Auctioneers are so much part of the rural community, building long-lasting relationships as well as business. There are a diverse range of roles in auction marts that would suit a range of talents from livestock handling, dealing with passports and compliance, through to office management,” says Mr Wilson.

Here, individuals who utilise and support the mart on a regular basis share why the mart is so important to them and the farming community, and why there is a need to protect the live ring, long into the future.

Director of Highland Rural and a former auctioneer, John Fyall, says:

“The most important thing about the live ring is that everything is controlled. The SSPCA is in here regularly. We work with assurance schemes and because of that, it is the only place you can be guaranteed that someone with five lambs from Lewis or 6000 lambs off the hills of Sutherland are all coming together, and everything is monitored. If the marts weren’t here, we wouldn’t have transparency in the system, and nobody would know if they’re getting the right price.”

Neil Wilson, executive director of IAAS, says:

“It is great to see our member Dingwall & Highland Marts showcasing the importance of auction marts for business and socialising in what is becoming an ever-more isolated industry. A diverse staffing base, many of whom are IAAS members and are professionally qualified, helping customers with their marketing decisions on farm every day of the week. They have true trusted adviser status across the Highlands and Islands that they service and beyond.”

Cattle and sheep farmer Andrew Smith, from Dunlichity Farm, Farr, sells livestock at Dingwall all year round. He says that local farmers really depend on the mart, because this is the centre to sell your calves:

“You have farmers coming from Aberdeen, the Western Isles, Glasgow even, to buy calves. We need to protect the live ring as you get a guarantee if you sell at the auction mart you get paid, but if you chose to sell cattle privately, that guarantee isn’t there.”

Trainee auctioneer, Ross Mackenzie is not from a farming background but became interested in the mart helping a friend selling cull ewes.

“If you’ve got an interest in livestock and enjoy talking to people, this is the job for you,” he says. “You get to see some great livestock, meet different people and build good relationships, as well as getting to value and sell. It really is a good job.” He also emphasised the support the marts give its customers: “There is a big issue in farming around mental health and that makes the mart even more important. Farmers come here every Tuesday for prime sales and to see their mates, it can sometimes be the only time they see them, and we can’t lose that.”

Catering manager Robert Ince has been serving up meals to mart goers for over seven years and knows only too well that food plays a major part in mart life.

“Dingwall is a huge hub for the agricultural community, a lot of farmers and crofters come and meet here, whether doing business or not, it is an integral part of day-to-day life. There is a great community feel and it is also a great opportunity to serve up some of our produce. It is almost like a full circle, the livestock is sold, it goes for slaughter and some of that produces comes back here and we try to source everything as locally and fresh as possible. Sale days we see a lot of the same faces coming in and we’ve also worked hard to open the canteen to wider community and it’s great to see more coming in to eat with us as well.”