A group of dedicated Angus enthusiasts have established a sale of elite Aberdeen Angus genetics. The 'Keys to Success – Angus' edition sale is to be held online via Mid Tipp Mart from 8 to 11 December.

The sale consists of 12 lots in total. Ten of the 12 lots will comprise of a recipient carrying an embryo pregnancy, confirmed via ultrasound at 60 days. Also on offer are two lots of embryos, which will be eligible for export to the UK and EU.

“We’re selling potential”, says Daire Markham MVB, veterinary surgeon and owner of VetEmbryos.ie. “We’ve chosen these embryos because they offer a unique cross on some very special donors.

"By selling a recipient with a confirmed pregnancy, our buyers can have confidence that they’ll hit the ground running with these exceptional genetics”, he added.

Donors

All lots are sourced from three donor dams: Elliot Felicia Y687 sired by Rawburn Loaded, Gordon Pole Star X654, great granddaughter to Belhaven Pole Star H070, and Netherton Blackbird L602 is one of the top daughters of TLA Northern Samurai, who dominated the breed in the 90s both here, in the UK and in Canada.

"We wanted to use bulls on these donors that would make something really special," explains Bryan O’Halleron.

"We chose Tonley Jester Eric, and Blelack Dean Martin as they are not available here in Ireland, and we saw this as an opportunity to get their genetics on the ground. We were lucky to source some of this semen last year, as it’s no longer available.

"We’ve also used O’Neill’s Black Bardolier. He’s a phenomenal bull that we’ve been watching for the last 18 months. His progeny continues to impress us, and were some of the highest sellers in the Blelack dispersal sale in October last year.

"The final sire used is Netherton Elsam. Elsam is sired by the legendary TLA Northern Samurai, stemming from the ever-consistent Netherton Evita line. With three generations of donors behind him, he's bred to breed.

First of its kind

Organised by the MCOH Syndicate (Mick Culkeen, Daire Markham, Gerry Markham and Bryan O’Halloran), the 'Keys to Success' sale is the first of its kind in Ireland. Murt Ryan of Mid-Tipp Mart is looking forward to the new initiative.

The recipients earmarked for this sale are tested neospora negative and vaccinated for BVD and lepto. Recipients are typically beef bred from the dairy herd, implanted once over 420kg and timed to calf down from 28 months onwards.

For more information on the lots on offer, and how to bid, visit facebook.com/vetemebryos.ie or call Bryan O’Halloran on 086-312 9110, Mick Culkeen on 087-927 3108 or Gerry Markham on 086-858 5972.