Charollais dispersal sells to 7,000gns
Ruthin Auction Mart was packed to the rafters on Sunday (25th October 2015) for the dispersal sale of Meilir Jones’ Aberkinsey flock of Charollais sheep. Recent winner of Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year, Mr Jones was reluctantly selling his flock to focus on the challenges and commitments of his fattening cattle enterprise.
The 164 lots were topped by one of the three stock rams, Glyn Coch Mr T, who had been a massive influence of the high quality of the flock on offer. Buying this one at 7,000gns was a syndicate of five: Adrian Davies, David Curran, Arwel Owen, Huw Roberts from Wales and Jeremy Price from Herefordshire. The under-bidder was David Mawhinney, Northern Ireland who later in the sale secured use of the tup by purchasing 40 doses of semen at £40 / dose.
Top price at the Aberkinsey flock dispersal was the stock ram Glyn Coch Mr T, which sold for 7,000gns.
Mr T was sired by Oakchurch Lukasz out of a Glyn Coch Habana ewe and was purchased by Mr Jones at the 2012 Worcester Premier Sale for 4,400 gns.
Star of the female section was an outstanding four year-old ewe who had a number of high quality daughters and grand-daughters in the sale. Bruce Irvine from the Sauchentree Flock in Aberdeenshire was determined to have this ewe and went to 3,700gns, sharing the purchase with another Aberdeenshire flock-master, Lewis Anderson from Banchory. Her sire was Bachymbyd Jack Daniels purchased at the Builth Wells ram sale in 2010 for 2,000gns and her dam went back to Southam Easy Rider.
The next highest priced ewe also sold to a Scottish bidder, this time to Ian Spence and Sue Pye for their Tullynessle Flock, Aberdeenshire. The two-shear ewe was a daughter of the top-priced female and sired by Glyn Coch Mr T and made 2,700gns on the day.
Male full siblings to this ewe have sold to 4,200gns and 4,000gns. The same buyers went to 1,550gns for a 2011 born ewe, whose progeny in one year alone grossed £11,500. Sired by Bachymbyd Jack Daniels she was carrying twins to Mr T.
Two further embryo transfer full sisters made four figure sums; the first at 1,400gns sold to Emyr Hughes, Pembrokeshire, for his Bronwydd Flock and the second at 1,350gns sold to two flocks; Adrian Davies’s Glyn Coch and David Curran’s Wernfawr from Carmarthenshire and Brecon. These ewes were all in lamb to the Royal Welsh Show 2014 male champion, Wernvale Master. A daughter of the 1,550gns ewe sold for 1,350gns to G and E Price, Llanilar, Aberystwyth.
Leading the bids for the shearling ewes on offer was one at 1,100gns by Glyn Coch Mr T out of a Foulrice Eurostar ewe, carrying twins to Wernvale Master. Purchaser was Elaine Parry Jones, Penegoes, Machynlleth for her newly formed flock.
Well-grown and shapely ewe lambs topped 1,200gns from Robert Whittaker, Hundalee flock, Jedburgh. A triplet by Aberkinsey Officer, her dam went back to a ewe sold at the Penhros Dispersal sale for 4,000 gns.
Averages : 164 lots, £693.58