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Butchers out in force to snap up cattle and lamb at Christmas Classic

Rebecca Stuart with the overall champion, Cinnamon, and William Moir with the reserve champion, Gazza.
Rebecca Stuart with the overall champion, Cinnamon, and William Moir with the reserve champion, Gazza.

Butchers flocked to the Thainstone Centre, near Inverurie, to buy prime cattle and lamb at the Aberdeen Christmas Classic.

Leading the sale at £5,000 (781p/kg) was the overall prime cattle and heifer champion, as judged by Jamie Chapman, of James Chapman Butchers in Wishaw, and Frank Yorke from Yorkes of Dundee butchers.

Put forward by Blair Duffton and Rebecca Stuart, from Huntly and Insch, the sale topper was the May 2018-born Limousin cross heifer Cinnamon.

Weighing 640kg, she is by Maraiscote Lothario and was bred by Gordon Cameron, Acharacle, Argyll. She was bought in October 2018 for £4,000 when champion at the weaned calf show at Thainstone, and sold to Yorkshire butcher Anthony Kitson.

Next best at £3,500 (565p/kg) was the young farmers’ prime cattle champion, judged by Anna Forsyth, from WTS Forsyth & Sons Butchers in Peebles.

This was the 620kg January 2018-born Limousin cross heifer Merida, from Thomas Hall, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud. Bred by Sinclair at Haquoy, Orkney, she sold to Raeburn Butchers in Huntly.

Kim Stretch with She Za Diamond.

The butchers’ cattle champion made £3,100 (524p/kg) selling to Bruce of the Broch butchers in Fraserburgh. Put forward by Perthshire breeder Wilson Peters and shown by his partner Kim Stretch, was the home-bred 592kg September 2018-born British Blue cross heifer She Za Diamond.

Next best at £3,000 (450p/kg) was the reserve overall and bullock champion from Blair Duffton and Rebecca Stuart.

This was the 666kg March 2018-born Limousin cross Gazza, by Pabalo Mr Muscles. Bred by Gary Bell, Haaside, he sold for £3,000 to Yorkes of Dundee.

Wilson Peters made £2,500 (438p/kg) selling his reserve butchers’ cattle champion to David Comrie Butchers of Comrie, Perth.

This was the home-bred 570kg May 2018-born Limousin cross heifer The Wee Housewife, by Anside Hawkeye. In all, 32 heifers averaged 330.9p/kg and 14 steers averaged 278.66p/kg.

Meanwhile, prime lambs topped at £500 apiece for the reserve champions from 16-year-old Ellie Millar, The Lurg, Midmar.

These were 55kg Beltex cross ewe lambs, by Woodies Chaos. They sold to J B Penman Butchers in Crail. They also paid £300 apiece for the champion and butchers’ champion lambs. These were 51.5kg Beltex cross ewe lambs from Inverurie breeder Rory Gregor. He also made £300 apiece for the young farmers’ champions – 51.5kg Beltex cross ewe lambs – to WTS Forsyth & Sons.