Christmas primestock round-up

Colchester

The overall show champion, a steer from Norwich producers Graham and Heather Blythe, took two other trophies from East Anglia’s best cattle and sold for 3031 – 645p/kg. Buyer was Direct Meats of Chappel, Colchester.

Averages: steers 125.5p/kg, heifers 110p/kg, all bulls 102.7p/kg, all cattle 113p/kg (Essex & Suffolk Market Auctions).

Talgarth

Tradition continued at Talgarth, where the cattle champion was bought by butcher Brian George, the 70th consecutive year the George family has taken the top beast. The steer, from Messrs Price Brothers of Erwood, sold for 3100 – 5.69/kg liveweight. Steers averaged 176p/kg and heifers 114p/kg. More than 1200 lambs averaged 109.36p/kg with values hitting 58.50 a head for the champions (Sunderlands).

Thame

Star attraction was the pedigree Limousin heifer Turville Upity, bred by Brian and Lynda Lear and donated to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. At 2000gns, Upity sold to Thame mart’s own Jonquil Jones to start her new herd. A 645kg Limousin heifer from R and M Butler took the top spot, achieving 235p/kg (Thame Farmers Auction Mart).

Abergavenny

The champion pen of prime lambs broke centre records with local demand pushing prices to 120 a head. The pen of 45.5kg Texel-crosses from Chris Ball of Llantilio were bought by restaurateur Robert Clode (Abergavenny market Auctioneers).