Beltex ram smashes the breed record at 34,000gns

“ The perfect sheep” smashed records for the Beltex breed on Friday (August 15) when a syndicate of pedigree breeders paid 34,000gns for a ram.

The two-shear Northern Irish-bred ram more than tripled last year’s breed record of 10,500gns at the Beltex Sheep Society Sale and it broke the centre record for a sheep sold at Borderway Mart, Carlisle. The breed record for ram lambs was also broken at the sale which met a high clearance at the 10-hour long sale.

Averages for aged rams, ram lambs and shearling gimmers were all up on the year.

Tullygarley Elite bred by JK Currie and Sons, of Whitesides Road, Ballymena, Co Antrim, had been much fancied at the pre-sale show on Thursday when he was selected the supreme champion by judge Robin Slade, of Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Carlisle.

Only sixth in the catalogue, bidding began on a high note and it was the syndicate of established pedigree breeders from Scotland, Wales and England who paid the record price. However, underbidder to 33,000gns was a single breeder, Gordon Belcher, of Shifnal Shropshire.

Sharing Tullygarley Elite are Lanarkshire breeders Alan Thom and Gavin Shanks who each run their own Beltex flocks alongside a jointly-owned flock, John McIlwraith, of Ayr and John Barclay, of Maybole, Ayrshire, Evan Evans, of Anglesey and Bob Roberts, of Pwllheli, north Wales and John Hall, of Inglewood Edge, Dalston.

They plan to each take 100 straws of semen from the ram this year for use in their respective flocks and other semen from Elite will be marketed – some was sold on the day of the sale.

“ The ram was the best we have seen and a lot of people were saying the same,” said Evan Evans, who recently put the breed on the map when he won the reserve interbreed title at the Anglesey Show. “We had made up our minds to buy the ram the night before.”

“ The ram is good on his legs, has great muscling and handles well. He has also been breeding well. A lot of people have said it is the best Beltex they have seen,” said Alan Thom.

The sale gave plenty to celebrate for breeder Mervyn Currie who is dispersing his Tullygarley flock established nine years ago.

“ I thought he was going to make a good price but I wasn’t expecting anything as high as this,” he said. “The only reason he is for sale is because I am dispersing the flock to concentrate on my other flock of sheep. ” Seven gimmers from the flock and two ram lambs were sold at Carlisle with the remaining 10 ewes being sold at Dungannon on September 6.

Elite, which was last year’s reserve interbreed champion at Ballymena Show on its only show outing, is by an imported tup bought in 1997. Mr Currie’s last sheep sold in Carlisle was a ram lamb which was also the champion under the same judge.

Friday’s sale was the best yet for the breed in the UK. “We had tremendous interest before the sale which has proved to be our best yet,” said Beltex Sheep Society secretary Helen Ashton. “The breed is on the up and up with increased registrations and membership of the society.”