Aberdeen Angus in demand

With the dispersal sale of the world-famous Blelack herd expected to return record prices for Aberdeen Angus females, Neil Massie’s cattle also dominated the breed section at yesterday’s Stirling bull sales.

Top price of the day for a bull at United Auction October sales was 24,000 gns - made by the Aberdeenshire breeder’s overall champion AA bull, Blelack Prince Cartier, selling to Messrs Fraser of Newton of Idvies, Forfar.

But the chance to snap up the bloodlines also saw the same herd realise the next three highest prices of the day: Blelack Bright Lad sold for 17,000 gns to Messrs Duncan Whitehall Farms, Kirkmahoe, Dumfries while Blelack Kasper, which had lifted the breed’s overall reserve male championship sold for 11,000 gns to Messr Strachan, East Shawtonhill Farm, Strathaven and, coming in narrowly behind, Blelack Earthquake made 10,500 gns to English breeder, J Seafield, Attwell Farm, Redditch.

And despite a number of bulls leaving the ring unsold, overall the AA bull section saw 42 sell to average £6413, marking a clearance rate of 68% and a rise in the average price of £1362 on the year.

Beef shorthorn sold six bulls to a top of 7200 gns to average £4830 - a rise of £420 on a clearance rate of 43 per cent.

In the Limousin section, 44 bulls sold to a top price of 9000 gns, returning a sale average of £5085, a figure which was up £433 on the year. And Mark Wattie’s Tonley AA production sale saw a top price of 20,000 gns for a cow.