Logan Hall at the Eikon Exhibition Centre once again played host to the royal Ulster premier beef and lamb championships on Tuesday.
In its seventh year, the show and sale is hosted by the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society and is a celebration of Northern Ireland’s pivotal beef and lamb industries in the run-up to a very busy time of year for butchers, buyers and exhibitors alike.
The packed cattle rings staged the highlight of the event as the 2024 supreme championship title saw an exceptional line-up of the finest local prime stock come forward.
Taking the reins for the unenviable task of placing the cattle was renowned cattle judge Afron Jones from north Wales.
Record breaker
Top price on the night and the Sam Milliken Perpetual Cup was secured by Allen Shortt and Jack Smyth for their Limousin-cross heifer Oti.
The joint exhibitors walked away with a record-breaking £19,000 after a flurry of bids set an electric atmosphere across the Logan Hall.
In the end, this Trueman Idol daughter was snapped up by John Robinson from Augher in Co Tyrone.
Overall champion, which sold for £18,000, shown by Alise and Arthur Callaghan, with Arthur Callaghan Snr, Richard Primrose and Tom Close from Bank of Ireland, with judge Arfon Jones
After much deliberation, Afron tapped out the Callaghan family’s Charolais-sired heifer Shaboozey as this year’s champion and recipient of the RJ Allam’s Cup.
Sired by Fury Action and weighing 588kg, all eyes were set on the final lot of the evening, as auctioneer Richard Beattie knocked down his gavel for a sum of £18,000, selling to MDC commercials of Gleneely in Co Donegal.
History makers
The Callaghan family also made the history books, as the first winners of the new bred and fed championship and the Rodgers Family Perpetual Cup.
Introduced for the first time this year, the award recognises the highest-placed exhibitor-bred animal from across all the cattle sections.
Overall calf champion, which sold for £16,500, exhibited by Sam Matchett, with Jack O'Brien and Jordan Toye from AI Services alongside RUAS president John Henning OBE. \ Willie McElroy
Judge Alaw Evans took care of proceedings for the competitive calf classes and tapped out Sam Matchett’s impressive Limousin-cross heifer as her overall champion.
Sired by Claddagh McCabe, this classy young heifer calf went on to sell for a record calf price of £16,500 to Robert Miller from Draperstown in Co Derry.
Reserve champion in the senior cattle section was scooped up by none other than JCB Commercials from Newtownards in Co Down with ‘The Skunk’.
This British Blue heifer came in at 756kg and after some lively bidding sold to D & G Magee from Rostrevor in Co Down for £11,000.
Read all about it in next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.
Logan Hall at the Eikon Exhibition Centre once again played host to the royal Ulster premier beef and lamb championships on Tuesday.
In its seventh year, the show and sale is hosted by the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society and is a celebration of Northern Ireland’s pivotal beef and lamb industries in the run-up to a very busy time of year for butchers, buyers and exhibitors alike.
The packed cattle rings staged the highlight of the event as the 2024 supreme championship title saw an exceptional line-up of the finest local prime stock come forward.
Taking the reins for the unenviable task of placing the cattle was renowned cattle judge Afron Jones from north Wales.
Record breaker
Top price on the night and the Sam Milliken Perpetual Cup was secured by Allen Shortt and Jack Smyth for their Limousin-cross heifer Oti.
The joint exhibitors walked away with a record-breaking £19,000 after a flurry of bids set an electric atmosphere across the Logan Hall.
In the end, this Trueman Idol daughter was snapped up by John Robinson from Augher in Co Tyrone.
Overall champion, which sold for £18,000, shown by Alise and Arthur Callaghan, with Arthur Callaghan Snr, Richard Primrose and Tom Close from Bank of Ireland, with judge Arfon Jones
After much deliberation, Afron tapped out the Callaghan family’s Charolais-sired heifer Shaboozey as this year’s champion and recipient of the RJ Allam’s Cup.
Sired by Fury Action and weighing 588kg, all eyes were set on the final lot of the evening, as auctioneer Richard Beattie knocked down his gavel for a sum of £18,000, selling to MDC commercials of Gleneely in Co Donegal.
History makers
The Callaghan family also made the history books, as the first winners of the new bred and fed championship and the Rodgers Family Perpetual Cup.
Introduced for the first time this year, the award recognises the highest-placed exhibitor-bred animal from across all the cattle sections.
Overall calf champion, which sold for £16,500, exhibited by Sam Matchett, with Jack O'Brien and Jordan Toye from AI Services alongside RUAS president John Henning OBE. \ Willie McElroy
Judge Alaw Evans took care of proceedings for the competitive calf classes and tapped out Sam Matchett’s impressive Limousin-cross heifer as her overall champion.
Sired by Claddagh McCabe, this classy young heifer calf went on to sell for a record calf price of £16,500 to Robert Miller from Draperstown in Co Derry.
Reserve champion in the senior cattle section was scooped up by none other than JCB Commercials from Newtownards in Co Down with ‘The Skunk’.
This British Blue heifer came in at 756kg and after some lively bidding sold to D & G Magee from Rostrevor in Co Down for £11,000.
Read all about it in next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.
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