LIMOUSINS SWEEP THE BOARDS AT NI COMMERCIAL CATTLE SHOW
The Northern Ireland Commercial Cattle Exhibitors’ Club saw a Limousin One-Two at its 5th Annual Show which took place at the Pedigree Sales Arena, Moira on Friday 21st August 2009.
With a generous prize fund and classes for male and female calves up to 300kgs as well as lightweight, mediumweight and heavyweght steers and heifers, Overall Supreme Champion was a Limousin bullock, Spooks, which received the prestigious Gary Pickering Memorial Perpetual Cup.
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| The winners were McKenna Bros, Clogher who took the overall with a 10 month old Limousin steer |
Bred by brothers Declan and Fergal McKenna from Clogher, County Tyrone, the eleven-month-old Spooks scooped the lightweight steer class before going on to collect the Supreme Overall Championship which included a £500 cash prize sponsored by Corby Rock Mill.
“The champion is a very correct, stylish bullock. He caught my eye as soon as he entered the showring,” said fatstock producer, Neil Slack from Penrith, Cumbria, who was making his judging debut in Northern Ireland.
Home-bred, Spooks was bred from a Belgian Blue cross Limousin cow. He also caught the eye of breed judge, Gareth McGuinness from Drogheda, County Louth, to take the Limousin Championship – sponsored by the NI Limousin Club. The Reserve Limousin Championship went to Law Bros from Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh.
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| Reserve was Luke McBride, Trillick with another Limousin sired steer, shown by Clodagh McGovern |
Claiming the Reserve Supreme Championship and the £250 cash award sponsored by Natural Stockcare Ltd was a lightweight Limousin heifer exhibited by Luke McBride from Trillick, County Tyrone. “The Reserve Champion is a good heifer, very correct and hard to fault,” added Neil Slack.
Runner-up in the calf championship, and recipient of the £250 cash prize sponsored by AI Services (NI) Ltd, was Commercial Cattle Exhibitors’ Club Chairman, John McSorley, and sons Michael and Sean from Beragh, County Tyrone. Their winning entry was a Limousin calf, bred from a cross-bred Charolais cow, and out of a stock bull by Nenuphar. The McSorley trio also scooped the Dectomax Shield for the best exhibitor-bred calf.
New to this year’s show was a class for the best pair of animals, property of exhibitor. This competition was kindly sponsored by Wilson Boyd of 02 Mobile Phones, and was judged by John Richardson from Dufftown. First prize went to a pair of Limousins, again shown by McKenna Bros, Clogher.
