Outstanding in his field, ram that cost as much as Ferrari
Five-month-old not-so-cheap sheep sold for a staggering £210,000
IT’S the kind of money you could use to treat yourself to a brand new Ferrari.
A sheep with ‘something special’ has sold at auction in Scotland for an incredible £210,000.
The five-month-old Texel, named Midlock Capaldi, is thought to have raised the second highest price ever for a lamb in the UK.
Breeder Alan Wight sold the sheep for 200,000 guineas, or £210,000.
The UK record for the highest price paid for a sheep was set in 2009 when another Texel, Deveronvale Perfection, which was bred in Banffshire, sold for £231,000.
In keeping with tradition, the majority of farm livestock, including horses, are still sold in guineas – £1.05 – at markets.
Mr Wight, who lives in Midlock Farm, Crawford, Lanarkshire, said the sheep had been a ‘stand-out’ from two weeks old and ‘had that something the best ones always have’.
‘Since he was two weeks old, we knew he was something special,’ said Mr Wight, who raised the lamb at the farm where he lives with his wife Karen and children Andrew, Ben and Katie.
The average cost of a lamb in the UK is around £100 but some top quality rams, used for breeding, fetch much more.
The Texel Sheep Society, based in Lanark, praised the ‘stylish, well-bodied’ lamb for taking the ‘bidding to an extreme level around the Lanark ring’.
John Yates, chief executive of the British Texel Sheep Society, admitted that the £210,000 figure seems a bit pricey for a lamb. But he said it signalled that breeders have a lot of confidence in Texels.
Mr Yates said: ‘What we have to remember is that these breeders are investing in the future of their businesses in both the short and long-term. Those animals perceived to be carrying the best genetics will always command a premium and so it proved at Lanark. One only has to look across the agricultural industry to see all those staking their futures on farming investing in their businesses.
‘With ongoing investment in modern breeding technologies, such as embryo transfer and artificial insemination by Texel breeders being more than £1million a year, the potential earnings from this ram are vast.’
He added: ‘Few would question an arable farmer ordering a new combine at £250,000 or more and the sale of this ram is no different, he will be at the core of his purchasers’ breeding programmes this year and, through his daughters, for many years to come.’
The animal was jointly purchased by Charlie Boden, on behalf of Sportsmans and Mellor Vale flocks in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and Hugh and Alan Blackwood for their Auldhouseburn flock at Muirkirk in Ayrshire.
Alan Blackwood said: ‘He’s exceptionally correct, has style and character coupled with a great carcass.
‘We’re delighted to have got him and knew from the minute we saw him he was one to add the next level to the flock.’
Midlock Capaldi, born via embryo transfer, had previously been bought in Carlisle for 12,000 guineas. He appears to have developed the good genes from his mother, Mullan Amigo, who sold for 32,000 guineas.
Texels, originally from the island of Texel in the Netherlands, are the most popular sheep for breeding in the UK because of the quality of the meat.
Mr Yates added: ‘Despite some current political uncertainties Texel breeders have faith in the breed and are placing Texels firmly at the heart of their farming businesses going forward.
‘That confidence is feeding back up from the commercial sector where Texel cross lambs continue to earn premium prices thanks to their ability to meet the strict market specification demanded by both processors and retailers.’