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Beltex Sheep SocietyShepherds View,
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Beltex ram smashes the breed record at 34,000gns“ The perfect sheep” smashed records for the Beltex breed on Friday August 15th 2003 when a syndicate of pedigree breeders paid 34,000gns for a ram.
Averages for aged rams, ram lambs and shearling gimmers were all up on the year.
Tullygarley Elite bred by JK Currie and Sons, of Whitesides Road, Ballymena, Co Antrim, had been much fancied at the pre-sale show on Thursday when he was selected the supreme champion by judge Robin Slade, of Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Carlisle. Only sixth in the catalogue, bidding began on a high note and it was the syndicate of established pedigree breeders from Scotland, Wales and England who paid the record price. However, underbidder to 33,000gns was a single breeder, Gordon Belcher, of Shifnal Shropshire. Sharing Tullygarley Elite are Lanarkshire breeders Alan Thom and Gavin Shanks who each run their own Beltex flocks alongside a jointly-owned flock, John McIlwraith, of Ayr and John Barclay, of Maybole, Ayrshire, Evan Evans, of Anglesey and Bob Roberts, of Pwllheli, north Wales and John Hall, of Inglewood Edge, Dalston. They plan to each take 100 straws of semen from the ram this
year for use in their respective flocks and other semen from Elite will
be marketed – some
was sold on the day of the sale. The sale gave plenty to celebrate for
breeder Mervyn Currie who is dispersing his Tullygarley flock established
nine years ago. Elite, which was last year’s reserve interbreed champion at Ballymena Show on its only show outing, is by an imported tup bought in 1997. Mr Currie’s last sheep sold in Carlisle was a ram lamb which was also the champion under the same judge. Friday’s sale was the best yet for the breed in the UK. “We had tremendous interest before the sale which has proved to be our best yet,” said Beltex Sheep Society secretary Helen Ashton. “The breed is on the up and up with increased registrations and membership of the society.”
The record for ram lambs for the second highest priced sheep on Friday was 3,500gns for Ian’s Good Buy from Ian McConnell, of Guillyburn, Kirkmahoe, Dumfries, the first lamb ram into the ring. The previous lamb ram record was 3,000gns at the Worcester sale last year. The purchasers were James and John Scott, of Fearn Farm, Tain, Ross-shire. The average for 63 ram lambs was up by £269 on the 2002 sale for 31 sold. The sale was also the first where the Beltex Sheep Society had catalogued the results of each sheep’s scrapie genotyping and the genotyping was reflected in the prices – Tullygarley Elite was in the top classification for scrapie resistance and other leading prices were also for high type rams including the leading ram lamb. Helen Ashton said: “Scrapie genotyping is becoming very important but we are also conscious that we must not lose sight of the conformation of the sheep.” Another ram lamb made the third leading price of 3,200gns which was shared by three rams. The lamb Drumrash Ginola, from Mrs J Cruickshank, of Drumrash Farm, Parton, Castle Douglas, which was reserve male champion at this year’s Royal Highland Show and again a top genotype ram from imported sheep. Also at 3,200gns was another top genotype shearling ram, Coningswick bred by Ian McMillan, of Carse of Clary, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire. A son of Headlind Dynamic which made the record ram lamb price in 2000, it sold to T Taylor, of Heathery Hall, Thankerton, Biggar, Lanarkshire. John McIlwraith, a member of the syndicate which bought the top priced ram, had the third to sell at 3,200gns. Another shearling Beachy Full Throttle is by the top sire Am Yer Man. Also topping 3,000gns was David Bishop, of Colwall, Worcestershire, with one of two shearling rams entered, Luggsmill Freddie, out of a home-bred ewe and an imported ram. A ram lamb sold by Mr Bishop made 2,000gns – a twin, Luggsmill Gaffer is by Luggsmill Envoy and out of a home-bred ewe. Nick Frazier and his father John, of Coningswick Farm, Rock, near Kidderminster,
sold the next top priced ram at 3,000gns, Coningswick Grumpy, again a top
rated ram for scrapie genotyping. Also selling at 1,300gns was another shearling gimmer from Gordon Connor and Scott Dalrymple, of Boness, West Lothian, Dun-Mor Felicity, bought by J Smithson, of Skelcies Hall, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria. Averages: 11 aged rams, £3,824.86 (2002 sale £1,367.43); 260 shearling rams, £ 638.40 (2002 £754.34); 63 ram lambs, £756.58 (2002 £487.06); 125 shearling gimmers, £450.32 (2002 £419.24). Leading prices:(Lot 6) JK Currie, 34,000gns to J McIlwraith & Son, Balig Farm, Doonfoot, Ayr;
JY Barclay & Co, Mid
Brockloch, Maybole; R Hall & Son, Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Carlisle;
GB Shanks, Bowmanhurst, Brownlee Estate; R Lloyd Roberts, Glyncoed, Chwilog,
Pwllheli, Gwynydd; Evan Evans, Castell-Eden, Gwalchmai, Anglesey. Female
leading prices: |
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