Livestock

Cattle and sheep results from RHS at Ingliston –

More than 70 bulls were entered for the prestigious Marks and Spencer Beefbreeder Championship yesterday which aims to demonstrate how cattle are best judged for commercial relevance by taking into account both traditional values of conformation and EBV data.

Winning the continental class for the second year in a row were Billy and Anne MacPherson, with a 15-month-old Simmental bull from their 25-strong herd at Blackford, Inverness. Blackford Iolair by Kilbride Farm Doubleaction out of Blackford Waxwing, was first in his class on Thursday on his first outing and will be sold at Stirling in October.

Reserve was the Milne family from Kennieshillock, Elgin with their Charolais bull, Elgin Neyer by Woodpark Elgin.

Gordon Brooke Estate at Duns, where one of the trustees is John Elliot, took both champion and reserve in the native classes with their Aberdeen Angus bulls. First was the two-year-old Cragg Lord Leviathan by Rawburn Jordan Eric, while reserve was the younger Linton Gilbertines Powerhouse by Rawburn Dublin, which is in the top one per cent for the breed.

The Aberdeen Angus breed also took top honours in the native teams where Stirling-based Stephanie Dick’s champion from Thursday took part, while the pairs winners for both native and continental were the Limousin pair including a cow from Douglas and Linda Graham, Mains of Burnbank, Blairdrummond.

Also at the show: Alan Meston, of Chapelton, Dunnottar, won the Scotch Steak award 2018. Alan’s son Stewart with QMS chairman Jim McLaren and Hamish the Scotch Beef mascot.