FANTASTIC TURNOUT AT LIMOUSIN OPEN DAY
A huge crowd of around 3,500 people attended the Northern Ireland Limousin Club Open Day held on 22nd August 2009 at the Corrie Family Farms situated on the Ards Peninsula, County Down. The theme of the day was “From Birth To Plate” and visitors were presented with an easy-to-view layout of cows and calves together with pens of store and finished cattle. With the Corries putting this home-produced beef exclusively through their farm and butcher’s shops, this meant customers and visitors alike could see right through to the end of the chain and have total confidence in the source and quality of the meat.
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| View from top of Laneway |
Consisting of two main farms, each of around 200 hectares, one is devoted to dairying while on the other the entire emphasis is on the production of the best possible beef. The 270-strong Limousin suckler herd was established some 16 years ago and runs with 8 pedigree Limousin bulls, with Limousin chosen “For its ease of calving, good growth rates and great bone–out capacity,” according to owner Will Corrie.
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| View from bottom of Laneway |
The large crowd came from all corners of the UK and Southern Ireland and gained not just a rich impression of the quality of the stock but the glorious Open Day sunshine helped create the festive air of a local show, with visiting families greeted by dozens of tradestands, machinery demonstrations, stockjudging competitions as well as hospitality and fun attractions such as a bouncy castle and rodeo bull! Benefiting from the generosity of the Open Day attendees was the Motor Neurone Association for which around £20,000 was raised through donations and a charity auction.
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| Great Cattle line-up |
Commenting on the success of the Open Day, British Limousin Cattle Society Chairman, Jim Bloom said: “This was not only a real feel-good day but also a tremendous showcase for the commercial attributes of the Limousin breed. I congratulate the NI Limousin Club for their fantastic organisation and thank the Corrie Family for being such generous and willing hosts.”
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| Inside the farm shop |
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| The busy Limousin stand |
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| NI Limousin Club Secretary Lizzie Rodgers with Motor Neurone Association fundraisers |
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| A packed Charity Auction |
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| (L-R) Jim Bloom, Iain Kerr, Will Corrie, Bryan McElroy, Richard Saunders, Gareth Corrie |
