Wet winter hits bull sales prices

Simmentals met with a steady trade at yesterday’s Stirling bull sales, but with commercial buyers sticking to a budget, the average was back £589 on the year to £5,477.

The breed society’s chief executive, Neil Shand, said that, with the effects of last year’s constant rain bearing heavily on the commercial sector, the expensive winter had forced commercial buyers to err on the side of caution.

The top price of the day at 24,000gns was made by the Islavale herd of Stewart Stronach, Berrylees Farm, Keith, Aberdeenshire, with the bull which had stood as reserve junior champion going to Richard Mcculloch, Overhill House, Armadale, West Lothian.

The Islavale herd also sold the day’s second top price, at 16,000gns, to Irish buyer, Billy Robson’s Kilbride herd. The Derrycallaghan herd of Stubbs & Burleigh went for 12,000gns, selling to the Wood family’s Popes herd.

The final five-figure price, 10,000gns,wasmadebybilly Robson, Kilbride Farms, selling to the Greens at Corskie, Morayshire.

With an increase in numbers and fewer buyers on the ground, many Salers bulls struggled to find a home. Following the record prices of the last sale, the breed average dropped by over £3,000 with only 14 of the 32 animals forward being sold. lat Harrison & Hetherington’s Limousin sale in Carlisle over the weekend, Scottish breeder Garry Patterson, Upper Forgie, Aultmore, Keith topped the sale making 65,000gns for his 18-month-old Aultside Meanmachine.

The bull, which lifted the junior and overall supreme championship at the show, was jointly purchased by Haltcliffe, , Cumbria and Procters Farms, Lancashire.