Locals share in top prices at bull sales
Charolais fetch five-figure sums
Thousands of UK buyers and sellers and witnessed brisk trade at Stirling Bull Sales.
From Sunday until Tuesday United Auctions hosted the event at Stirling Agricultural Centre.
A total of 771 pedigree bulls and females were on show and sale.
Star of the sales was the 40,000gns Charolais bull Maerdy Newman from Welsh breeder DE Evans. On Tuesday morning auctioneer Murray Rainnie knocked down the leading bull to joint buyers Boden & Davies Ltd, Stockport, and Neil and Stuart Barclay, Banchory.
Twelve lots of Charolais sold for fivefigure sums and two of them were from Stirlingshire breeders.
The first at 20,000gns was for Allanfauld Neptune, from Kilsyth breeder A MacGregor, sold to R McCulloch, Overhill House, West Lothian.
The second was from JH Christie & Son of West Carse Farm, Stirling, for their bull Westcarse Nuggat, who fetched 8500gns from Hepburn & Co, Hawick.
It was also a successful week for Limousin breeders D&L Graham, Mains of Burnbank Farm, Blair Drummond.
They achieved two leading prices at the Limousin sale on Monday afternoon, including a joint top price of 11,000gns for Burnbank Northernlad, bid by Adam & Son of Glamis and McNee Ltd in Dundee.
Burnbank Millenium made 8500gns and is heading to Perthshire with Stark and Sons at Inchture.
Stirling East councillor Chris Kane was a guest at the event on Monday.
He said: “Stirling has had a market for almost 1000 years and United Auctions have been at the heart of our rural economy for 160 years.
“That longevity goes some way to explaining the incredibly wellrun operation I witnessed, as did the professionalism of the staff, auctioneers, buyers and sellers at this important annual event.
“Presenting a prize in the show ring will long be a highlight of my time as a bailie.”
Edinburgh Rugby players George Taylor and Callum Hunter-Hill were guests of property consultancy Galbraith, who support the Bull Sales, at the Aberdeen-Angus judging on Sunday.
UA sales director John Roberts said: “It has been a fantastic set of sales with the thousands, of people descending on the city and the packed ringsides from the Sunday judging to the last sale on Tuesday afternoon.
“The high quality of the cattle on offer to breeders and commercial buyers has been reflected in the high clearance rates in the sale ring.
“Buyers and sellers from Southend to Orkney and Northern Ireland to Aberdeenshire as well as international visitors from Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain have all come to Stirling for this prestigious event.
“In addition a Chinese AI company was here to see the quality of the Simmentals and was very impressed by the potential genetics available in Scotland.”