Smithfield glory for Scottish exhibitors

Scottish exhibitors brought home a goodly number of the top awards from this year’s Smithfield show held at the weekend at the East of England showground at Peterborough.

In the show’s overall prime cattle championship it was a fairytale fourth win for Argyll-based Ewan MacPherson and sons, Donald and Ewan, when they took the supreme cattle title with their Charolais heifer, Allanfauld Fizz, the first time since 1979 since a pure bred animal has taken the top award.

Bred by Archie MacGregor and his son John at Allanfauld, she was bought at the Caley marts sale in April for £1,600. She tipped the scales at 604kg and topped the sale after the show, selling at £9,000 to pedigree breeder Fred Murray of Wooler.

Standing reserve overall champion was the overall steer champion I’m Your Man, a Limousin cross from Michael and Melanie Alford.

The MacPherson’s enjoyed further success when winning the reserve overall steer championship with their Limousin cross Rockafella.

More Scottish success came when George and Aileen MacFadzean, Woodhead of Mailer, Perth, took the event’s purebred Native championship with their Aberdeen-Angus steer, End of the Line, a March 2010-born 630kg entry.

And the Macfadzeans continued their winning ways when they won the crossbred native steer championship with their Aberdeen-Angus sired steer Ben 10 and the reserve native crossbred heifer championship with an Aberdeen-Angus cross heifer, Upsy Daisy.

Leading a select Scottish entry in the sheep lines was Malcolm Stewart, Brotherstone, Melrose, when he clinched the reserve native championship with a pair of Suffolk cross Beltex rams. These are by a homebred high index sire from his Sandyknowe flock.

Taking the overall live sheep championship were David and Linda Wadland, Daventry, with their 98kg pair of Blue Texel cross Texel lambs.

In the Baby Beef classes it was a win for Northumberland-based John Smith-Jackson with his Limousin cross calf Golden Eye.

Reserve honours here went to Kevin Ludgate, Leighton Buzzard, with his Limousin cross heifer.

Messrs Currie Dumfries were the best-placed Scottish exhibitors, taking the reserve native Baby Beef Award, with their Aberdeen-Angus cross calf, So Peaty.

And another Scottish bred Aberdeen-Angus calf led the way in the breed’s Calf Show at the event, with Rawburn Kinnanie taking the championship for Marsden Farms, Penistone. She was bred by the Elliott family, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso.