30th NATIONAL AUTUMN SHOW & SALE of PEDIGREE LIMOUSIN BULLS Thursday 8th & Friday 9th November 2007

HALTCLIFFE BULL TOPS LIMOUSIN TRADE AT 30,000GNS

133 bulls average £4218 - Sale grosses £560,000 – Intermediate bulls average £5276

An extremely solid trade underpinned the Autumn Sale of Limousin Bulls held at Borderway on Friday 9th November 2007. With one more bull sold compared to the previous year, overall 133 bulls sold to an excellent average of £4218. Although slightly down on last year’s record-breaking average, this year’s fixture saw averages well above the three year trend and reflected buyers’ immediate and long-term confidence in the Limousin breed despite the current industry difficulties. Five bulls made over 10,000gns with 25 in all making over 6,000gns. In the intermediate section 43 bulls sold to average a tremendous £5,276, up £245 on last year’s trade. Overall, the clearance rate was an acceptable 62%.

Trends of the day saw Scottish and Welsh buyers out in numbers with practically all of the bulls sold at over 6000gns heading to one of these home nations. Ring side opinion was that this was a high quality show of bulls, one of the best seen at an October sale, with the intermediate section particularly strong. Bulls that were visually strong and accompanied with good EBVs were easily sold.

Haltcliffe Banker

It was from the intermediate section that the day’s top price of 30,000gns emerged in the shape of Haltcliffe Banker from Messrs Ridley, Haltcliffe, Hesket New Market, Cumbria. A son of the prolific French sire, Sympa, Haltcliffe Banker is an April 2006 born bull out of the dam Cloughhead Rowan who goes back to Broadmeadows Cannon. Sporting an impressive Beef Value of LM+40 which places him easily in the top 1% of breed, he was purchased by EH Pennie & Son, Gwern-Yr-Ychain, Llandyssil, Montgomery, Powys for their Sarkley pedigree Herd. Sympa sons have sold at 43,000, 28000, and 24,000gns respectively for the Haltcliffe herd to date.

Ampertaine Bravo

Making it a top price double on the day for Sympa breeding was the March 2006 born Ampertaine Bravo at 24,000gns. Show judge, Mr Andrew Ewing of Dumbretton Farms, Annan, Dumfries had selected Ampertaine Bravo as his Intermediate and Supreme Champion and this was reflected in the successful 24,000gns joint bid on behalf of BT Goldie, Townfoot, Mouswald, Dumfries and Castlewigg Farming Co Ltd, Castlewigg Farm, Whithorn, Newton Stewart. Bred by James McKay, 88 Kilrea Rd, Upperland, Maghea, Co Londonderry, Ampertaine Bravo was once again sired by Sympa and is out of the privately bought dam Kype Ultra. He is no stranger to show success, having won the Junior Champion and Overall Male Championship at both the Royal Ulster Show and All Ireland Derby respectively in summer 2007. His Beef Value was a whopping LM+43. In the February sale at Carlisle this year, Mr McKay had sold another Sympa son for 29,000gns.

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