Royal Highland Winter Fair 2012: Beef sale tops at £3,400

Supreme beef champion, Marvellous Mo, lead the trade at this year’s Royal Highland Winter Fair at Ingliston selling at £3,400 to the days judge Mr Michael Alford of Foxhill Farm, Blackborough, Colompton, Devon. 

This Limousin cross heifer was shown by Stewart Bett and Lynsey McKay, Castleton Farm, Stirling, and had been bought at Kinross Show from breeder Alistair McLaren, Classlochie, Kinross after she had stood overall commercial champion. 

At 14 months old, Mo by Lodge Danny Boy and out of a Limousin cross British Blue, was only on her first show outing since then and had earlier been the overall heifer champion before going onto being awarded the overall supreme honours.  Described by the judge as having a tremendous carcase with depth of loin, she joins him at his Stillmans Meat processing business, in which he and his wife Melanie run an abattoir and three butcher’s shops.

Topping the butchers cattle section was the resave butchers champion a Limousin cross heifer Hubba Bubba from Blair Duffton of 2 Bogie Street, Huntly, selling for £3.70 p/kg (£1.68lb) grossing £2,571.50. This 695kg heifer found her new home with Gordon Cameron, Newton Cottage, Acharacle.  Next to Make the Money at £3.10 p/kg was Ace of Spades a fourth prize heifer weighing in at 580kg grossing £1,798 from J Hodge, Dykes Farm, selling to K Young, Tormitchell.

Following on from this was bid of £2.85 p/kg twice. Firstly from F Jones & Son, Isgaer, for Geraint Wyn, the Butchers Champion, a Charolais bullock which weighed in at 585kg and grossed £1,667.25 going on to sell to Messrs J & H Cairns, Station Road, Carluke.

Next to attract the same money was a Limousin bullock weighing in at 575kg from R J Wright, Bedlands, Gate Farm, Somerton.  This first prize bullock grossed £1,638.75 and sold again to Messrs J & H Cairns, Carluke.

Topping the native section of the sale per kg and per head were both entries from the Galloway classes.  Top bid was £2.45 p/kg for a 530kg bullock from George Harvey, Balfron selling to Whannel, Wishaw.  Top grossing native bred animal came in the Farm of George McFadzeans’ heavy weight first prize winning bullock.  This cracking beast went over the scales at 745kg and sold to £2.40 p/kg and grossing £1,788 going to Mr Paton, Cairnhill.

In the calf section of the sale a top call of £2,000 was achieved for a second prize Limousin cross heifer, Black Diamond, weighing 335kg, from Fred Murray, Wrangham selling to John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth.  Just behind this was the overall calf champion form RSPB, Aoradh, Islay, brought out by farm manager E Brown a 390kg Charolais heifer selling at £1500 to Allan Donald.  Next up was another from Fred Murray this time a first prize Limousin heifer selling at £1350 to TWH Farming, Wigton, Cumbria.

Averages: 38 cattle for sale. Seven calves; £1,271.42; 19 bullocks, £2.44 p/kg, seven heifers, £2.76 p/kg (Caledonian Marts, Stirling)