Red Rose championship double at Skipton prime shows
Red Rose sheep and beef farmers consigned both champions at Skipton Auction Mart’s September prime shows, with Whalley father and son, Richard and Mark Ireland, presenting the title-winning lambs and Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge, the cattle victor. (Monday, Sept 3)
The Irelands, of Heys Farm, took top spot with their pen of five 42kg Beltex-cross lambs, all by the same home-bred stock tup, Shamrock Beast, which clinched a first-ever supreme championship for the duo at Skipton’s high profile Christmas primestock show last year. It was first ram they have bred in their pedigree Beltex flock, established three years ago. Their main breed is the Heys Texel flock and this year they have lambed 650 ewes.
Shamrock Beast has covered most of the Irelands’ show lambs this year, with more set to come forward in future months. Their September frontrunners sold for £107 per head, or 254.8p/kg, to Vivers Scotlamb in Annan.
Over 2,600 prime lambs met another solid trade when averaging £82.91 per head, or 191.61p/kg, 11p/kg more than the corresponding week last year.
Ben Townsend’s cattle champion was his first prize 505kg Limousin-cross heifer. By a Skipton-bought Oddacres bull from the Mason family in Embsay, the victor was claimed by show judge Jeff Burrow, of Kirkby Malham, for £1,300, or 257.5p/kg, who also paid the top gross price of £1,518, or 259.5p/kg, for the third prize 585kg Limousin-cross heifer from Simon Bennett, of Silsden Moor.