Youngsters shone in new classes created for them at the Scottish National Premier Meat Exhibition.
The inaugural lamb and cattle carcase classes for young producers aged from 18 to 26 were well supported with 23 entries in each at Saturday’s show, hosted by Scotbeef at Bridge of Allan and organised by the Scottish National Fatstock Club. Overall show sponsor Marks & Spencer also ploughed cash into the new sections of the exhibition, which came of age through marking its 21st birthday.
The young producer cattle classes were topped by Edinburgh University land economy student Isla King, 19, of Crossrig Farm, Duns, Berwickshire. Her winning Charolais cross steer graded U+3. It weighed 638kg live and 415.8kg on the hook, giving a killing out percentage of 65.2%.
The April 2012 steer was bred by J. Anderson and Son, of Headshaw, Oxton, and bought by Isla in April at St Boswells when it scaled 350kg.
Isla, a member of Reston YFC, said it was her first win in a cattle contest. “It was on the same fattening ration as the others on the farm,” added Isla who said her father, Tom, finished 2,500 cattle annually.
The reserve young producer in the cattle and winner of the Premio Speciale Italiano prize donated by the Milan Butchers Association for the best heifer suited for the Italian market was James Young, 26, of Girvan Mains, Girvan, with a home-bred 18-month-old Charolais cross Aberdeen-Angus. It scaled 566kg and 360.9kg on the hook. She graded U+3 and had a killing out percentage of 63.8%.
James is to use the 500 euro (£417) Italian prize to paint his living room at home.
Craig Bell, of Seggiebank, Kinross, won the young producers’ lamb championship with an April-born Beltex cross wedder. It weighed 42kg live and 22.2kg on the hook, giving a killing out percentage of 52.9%. The grade was E2.
Kirsty Morton, of Lochend, Denny, was reserve with a Beltex cross which weighed 37.5kg live and 20.7kg dead. It graded E2 and had a killing out percentage of 55.2%.
In the overall contest the lamb supreme as well as the export and Beltex championships went to Malcolm Stewart, of Brotherstone, Melrose, with a home-bred mid-May born Beltex cross Texel wedder, by a Borderesk sire. It was the first championship win in the contest for Mr Stewart, who has previously stood reserve as well as won the Suffolk championship. He has 350 Suffolks, 100 Beltex cross Texels and 700 Lleyn ewes at home.
Andrew Baillie, of Carstairs Mains, Carstairs, took the reserve with another Beltex. It scaled 36kg live and 19.5kg on the hook, giving a killing out percentage of 54.2%. The grade was E2. The cattle supreme was won for the second time by Wilson Peters, of Ibert, Monzie, Crieff, with a Charolais cross heifer, bred by John Campbell, of Glenrath, Peebles. She was bought at United Auctions in Stirling last November and kept specifically for the contest. “She was never shown. This was the ultimate aim for her,” said Mr Peters. The heifer, called Nae Luck, scaled 605kg live and 384.3kg dead. She graded U+4L and had a killing out percentage of 63.8%. Collecting their fourth reserve were father and son, Fred and Ian Murray, of East Horton, Wooler, with a home-bred Charolais cross steer out of a British Blue cow, one of 720 sucklers which used to be on the farm. The Murrays have since the steer was born in May last year cut cow numbers to 40.
He graded U3. The steer was 558kg live and 352.8kg dead, giving a killing out percentage of 63.2%. Judging the lambs was Rodolphe Lepourea, whose family own the sixth largest abattoir in France, killing 6,000 lambs a week.
Beef judge Steven Woolley, of Sheffield-based meat wholesaler Woolley Brothers, said his supreme had beef on it for everybody. “It is a carcase which would fit any customer – the finest butcher’s shop or wherever. The meat to bone ratio is spot on,” said Mr Woolley, whose business slaughters 1,100 cattle and supplies butchers, export markets and caterers. The reserve was similar to the champion, but did not just have quite the same finish.