Charolais prices plunge on year
Despite gaining a top price of 23,000gns at this week’s Stirling bull sales, the Charolais breed yesterday suffered a similar reversal in average prices to that seen for other breeds on the first day of the sale.
With 65 bulls selling to an average £5,735 – the breed saw its price fall £1,244 on last year, when 73 bulls exchanged hands.
Leading the field at 23,000gns was Goldie’s Oasis from Hamish Goldie, of South Bowerhouses, Dumfries, which sold to Neil and Stuart Barclay, of Harestone Farm, Insch.
The overall and reserve champion Charolais both made 12,000gns, with the top-placed bull from Major David Walter, who has been breeding Charolais cattle for 50 years at Balthayock, outside Perth, selling to the Wight family at Carwood Farm, Biggar. The reserve overall champion from the Crawford family, of Maghera, Co Londonderry, sold for the same price, going to the Irvine family’s Inverlochy herd at Tomintoul, Ballindalloch.
Top price in the Simmental lines of 15,000gns went to the reserve junior champion from the Stronach’s Islavale herd at Keith in Aberdeenshire, selling to the Quarm family’s Annick herd at Irvine.
Three animals hit the figure of 14,000gns, with one of those also coming from the Islavale stables, this one going to S Gummow, of Higher Killaworgey Farm, Newquay, Cornwall.
The junior and overall champion from WD Hazleton’s Ranfurly herd in Dungannon also sold at this price to judge Adrian Ivory, of Strathisla Farms, in Meigle, Perthshire.
And the figure was also matched by RJ Macgregor, of Kirkton of Mailer, Perth, who sold to Hertfordshire breeder Bridget Borlase for her Sacombe herd.
Simmental averages were back £1,009 on the year to £5,178 for 66 sold, with a clearance rate of 65 per cent achieved.