Charolais sale ends on a high with top price for Stirling venue

The spring bull sales at Stirling finished on a high note yesterday with a 45,000gns bid for the reserve supreme and junior champion Charolais bull from Welsh vet Esmor Evans.

The price is a record in the short life-time of the new Stirling Agricultural Centre, which opened its doors in October, 2009, and is the fourth-highest price ever paid for a Charolais bull in the UK.

Evans holds the breed record of 56,000gns for Maerdy Director sold at the old bull sale centre in Perth in 1989.

The top price yesterday came late in the sale and capped a highly successful day for Evans, who runs a herd of 200 Charolais cows on his farm near Mold in Flintshire. His nine bulls pulled in a total of 120,435 to average 13,382.

The top bid was made by Charlie Boden of Boden and Davies Ltd, who own the well-known Sportsman herd at Stockport, Cheshire.

The top-priced bull, Maerdy Express, is from the same cow as a previous champion, also from the Maerdy herd, and by a French imported sire, Maerdy USA.

The 45,000gns bid helped boost the overall average for the sale to 5,888 for 160 bulls which, although down from last year's record of 6,072 for 163 head, left sellers well satisfied, given the continuing decline in suckler cow numbers.

"There was more money about last year," said breed secretary David Benson. "Trade was tremendous in the circumstances currently facing beef producers and reflects the strong demand and premium prices - as much as 100 a head - for Charolais-sired suckled calves."

Earlier in the day, Aberdeenshire pedigree cattle breeder, Harry Emslie and his partner, Lynwen Evans, from Kinknockie, Peterhead, paid the second highest price of the sale of 21,000gns for the reserve senior champion.The bull, Dundas Einston, was consigned by Jess Gilchrist.

The supreme champion, New-house Emperor, from M Adam and Son, Forfar, Angus, was one of three bulls sold for 13,000gns. Buyer was Jan Boomaars, Surrey.