SHEEP farmers will descend upon the Borders on June 4 for Scotland's biennial sheep event, the National Sheep Association's (NSA) Scotsheep 2008.

Organised by the Scottish region of the NSA, with Bank of Scotland Corporate as major sponsor, this year's event will be held on the farm of Northhouse, Teviothead, Hawick, Roxburghshire, courtesy of hosts Ian and Katherine Hepburn.

"Northhouse is a first-class venue right in the heart of the Borders sheep country, with easy access from north, south, east and west," said Jack Clark, managing director of St Boswells auctioneer John Swan, and chairman of the organising committee.

"The event is attracting tremendous support from sponsors, trade exhibitors and breed societies that will ensure an excellent day out for all those with an interest in the sheep industry."

Some 153 trade stands have been booked for the event and 41 sheep breed societies will be staging demonstrations of their breeds.

Clark said the resurgence of the sheep market this spring would bring renewed confidence to producers who would be looking to Scotsheep to provide all the latest technical and marketing information, as well as the opportunity to view a well-run Borders sheep farm.

"The sheep market has made a welcome and long overdue recovery, with hoggs realising £70 to £80 a head this spring and the market for new season lamb getting off to a good start," said Clark.

"A year ago yesterday, hoggets were fetching 87p per live kilo compared with an average of 150p yesterday. Lambs were only fetching 170p a year ago yesterday compared with yesterday's average of 199p. This has given the whole industry a lift and store lamb producers can look forward to the autumn sales with a greater degree of confidence."

John Taylor, agricultural business manager with the Bank of Scotland, also said farmers could look forward to an increased single farm payment later this year as a result of the weakness of the pound.

"At the end of September last year the euro was worth 68p but had reached 80p a fortnight ago. It's currently trading at around 78p to 79p and the general view from economists is that it should stay strong for the rest of the year."

Taylor pointed out that a lot of his bank's customers were locking into 79p to 80p, a level that's 17% more than this time last year.

"Farmers should be seriously thinking of taking their single farm payment in euros and talking to their bank managers about the opportunities to hedge the exchange rate," he added.

Scotsheep will be open to the public from 9am, and the official opening by the Richard, 10th Duke of Buccleuch - the landlord of the farm - will take place at 10.30am, followed by the keynote address from Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead.