With the 2019 sale schedule about to get underway all eyes will be on Stirling for the annual bull sales held at United Auctions Stirling Agricultural Centre.
With 106 Limousin bulls listed for sale the event is certain to be of interest to buyers across the region and beyond. The show of Limousin bulls is at 10am on Monday 4th February with the sale due to start at 3pm.
In recent years, across the Society sales solid demand for easy calving, easy fleshing bulls with plenty of scope and growth potential has been very evident. Underpinning the vibrant trade for the breed last year this reflects just how high confidence in the breeds fit in the market place is. There is a clear recognition that fast finishing progeny hitting the target weights required by the market is both efficient and profitable and that Limousin delivers just that. Easy calving and efficiency have been very much the buzz words. Boding well for the future, commercial buyers can clearly see the advantages of market ready genetics and as such are able to confidently invest in the breed.
Of the bulls listed for sale at Stirling 91% have a Beef Value, the measure of growth and carcase value, above the breed average and of those, a further 41% are in the top 10% and top 1% of the breed. Calving, milk and maternal traits for the majority of bulls for sale are also above breed average, again with good choice amongst the top 10% and top 1%.
Iain Kerr, Chief Executive of the British Limousin Cattle Society, believes that while the uncertainties of the post Brexit environment present a challenge to the industry the Limousin breed has much to offer by way of solutions.
He says: “The signals from the industry suggest that cattle with the genetics to convert food efficiently reach slaughter weights earliest and crucially deliver more valuable carcasses are in the greatest demand, this isn’t something that is going to change anytime soon. As such, having the tools to identify high genetic breeding stock for the traits that are driving payment is as crucial as ever as it means that producers can hit processors targets more efficiently with their finished stock.”
“Most pedigree Limousin breeders are now performance recording and vendors who are offering bulls of high genetic merit are being rewarded in the sale ring. As business pressure comes into even sharper focus through 2019 I expect the commercial interest in Limousin cattle and performance information through EBV’s and GEBV’s on both sides of the sale transaction to deepen”
“2018 was a good year for the breed, momentum for Limousin cattle at the premier pedigree sales, regional sales, off farm and in store and prime rings around the country provided the backdrop to this success. We saw commercial buyers out-bidding their pedigree counterparts at premier society sales, securing the very best animals they could. This indicates the confidence buyers have in the breed, which is something I am certain we will continue to build on in 2019. The industry is giving clear signals as to what it wants in terms of weight and specification; Limousin consistently fit the bill”
Our 10 year breed improvement plan is all about ensuring that users of Limousin cattle capture the optimum value from the genetics they are using in ways that haven’t been possible before, critically important in these challenging times” He added “The political environment at the moment is undoubtably causing some uncertainty in the industry, as we head to the bull sales, while confidence in the breed is high, I won’t be surprised if commercial producers are in a cautionary mood”
The catalogue is available to download here and is available on the LimSale App.
