Prime stock defies the Brexit blues
British buyers are still willing to pay top prices for the best of Irish bloodlines, reports Martin Ryan
The quality of pedigree beef breed sires being bred on Irish farms has been highlighted by the scale of interest from leading UK herd owners who paid in excess of €30,000 for three Irish price toppers in Charolais, Limousin and Hereford breeds during 2016.
Clenagh, Derrygullinane, and Riverrock pedigree herds were all beneficiaries of strong British demand for Irish bloodlines, despite the drop in sterling’s value.
The Clenagh Herd from Co Clare produced one of the top price pedigree males of the year, when their 14-month old, five-star index, Charolais, Lyle, sold for €13,000 at the society’s Christmas Cracker Show and Sale at Elphin.
The sale capped off a wonderful year for the stylish bull who won the reserve male championship at the National Livestock Show in Tullamore and the senior male calf championship at the National Charolais show in September.
Bred by Michael J Quinn, at Newmarket-on-Fergus, he was purchased for the Burradon Pedigree Charolais Herd in Northumberland.
Lyle is sired by Domino out of the prolific breeding cow in the Quinn’s herd, Clenagh Tranquil, who is a daughter of the popular Pirate.
He ticks all the desirable boxes on his pedigree, with a five-star terminal index of €144, a five-star replacement index of €80 and a calving figure of just 6.9pc.
Another show-topping bull to find a new home in a leading herd in the UK was Derrygullinane King Bull, the senior champion at the International Limousin Congress Show last August, where he was also reserve overall champion to Baileys Iceprincesss.
He was purchased by the Pabo Herd of W.P. Hughes & Son, Fferam Gyd, Anglesey for €11,300 at the society’s Premier Sale at Roscrea on October Bank Holiday Monday.
Bred by Gerry Walsh, Knockmore, Ballina, Co Mayo, Kingbull is the first son of Gerryguillane Glen (LM4044) to go to auction. His dam Derrygullinane Elsia Et has Nenuphar and Ideal 23 in her lineage and the May 2015born bull boasts a muscle score of 143 and a skeletal score of 123, with a five-star rating in Terminal index of €147 and a four-star Replacement index of €86.
The Derrygullinane Limousin Herd, established in 2001 with the purchase of a number of females that formed the foundation for Derrygullinae Limousins – and more recently Gerrygullinane Limousins –has enjoyed remarkable success.
It has won the North West Herds competition six times since 2007 - in addition to many individual awards.
The dominance of UK interests in Irish pedigree beef breed sires extended to the Hereford sales during the year, with Richard Mann of the Spinney Herd,at Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, paying €6,000 for Riverrock Superstar bred by Tony Hartnett, Rockchapel, Co Cork.