This trip to Scotland was very exciting, with many interesting impressions. Once again three employees of our company attended the Perth bull exhibition/auction, this year again held at the Stirling Auction Centre.
On the first day we attended the annual general meeting of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society where last year’s achievements were discussed and the new council was elected. In 2010 a record number of animals was registered for productivity and all members of the society were very pleased with the results. For the first time in the history of the society a farmer with Irish roots, Mr. Albert de Cogan, was elected president. He is the former president of the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association. Mr. Albert de Cogan joined the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society in 2004, then serving as junior vice president and senior vice president of the council. Mr. de Cogan’s animals have won him top prizes at many exhibitions in Ireland and last year he served as judge at the Perth exhibition/auction that we also attended.
In the afternoon on the first day we viewed the exhibited animals and scrutinised the catalogue for the animals’ ancestry and breeding results.
In the early morning on the second day we found seats by the exhibition circle and began watching the valuation process. The judge this year was William McLaren. 182 bulls participated in the exhibition/auction. 133 of these were auctioned off with an average selling price of GBP 4,676 (EUR 5,500). Although last year more bulls had been sold, 146 out of a total of 186, at an average price of GBP 5,047 (EUR 5,940), at this latest auction there were 11 bulls with prices reaching five digits, something that had not happened for some time.
BALLATHIE CONSORT J255 won in the youth class and was awarded the title of reserve champion in all groups. This bull was auctioned off for GBP 5,500 (EUR 6,200).
My personal favourite, WEDDERLIE EL NINO J852, won in the older age group (born before 26 February 2009) and this handsome animal was auctioned off for GBP 12,600 (EUR 14,800).
The older group reserve champion was BLELACK BLACKGAMMON J137. This bull was auctioned off for GBP 10,500 (EUR 12,100).
The medium class reserve champion, CH FLODDEN JEWEL ERIC J505, was auctioned off for GBP 7,000 (EUR 8,235).
The youth class reserve champion, TONLEY ADRIANO J666, was auctioned off for GBP 10,500 (EUR 12,400). One of our pedigree bulls, Tonley Black Dart, had been purchased from the same breeder, Neil Wattie, and we naturally rooted for Neil and his Tonley cattle specimens at the exhibition.
On our last day in Scotland we took part in fun training to learn how to prepare a bull for an exhibition. We mastered the techniques of bull washing, blow-drying and trimming, as well as many other insider tricks aimed at making the animal eminently presentable. So our trip was very educational indeed and we are so grateful to Alex Sanger, the Rosemount herd owner, and his wonderful family – with whom we had the pleasure of staying for the whole duration of our trip in Scotland – for the acquired experience.
