All press must apply for accreditation to cover the visit of HRH Princess Royal on the afternoon of Monday, February 2nd at Stirling Agricultural Centre.
Princess Anne’s visit marks the 150th anniversary of the event. She is attending in her role as patron of the Beef Shorthorn cattle society and it is the first time a royal has visited the Bull Sales at Stirling.
To apply for accreditation, please contact Jenny Kumar on jenny@jkconsultancy.com with your name, mobile, media outlet you represent and arrival time on Monday, February 2nd. Once approved, please collect your assigned press badge from the media table in the concourse on arrival.
The Sales have enjoyed royal support with HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother being a regular consignor of Aberdeen-Angus cattle from the Castle of Mey. She visited the sales on a number of occasions and was very involved with the herd.
HRH The Prince of Wales also attended the sales at Perth in 2002 in his capacity as patron of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society.
David Leggat, Executive Chairman at UA, said: “We’re looking forward with much excitement to welcoming The Princess Royal to the event, in which she has a personal interest. We do require all press and media to apply in good time for accreditation ahead of the Princess’ arrival on the first day of the sales.
“It’s been fascinating reviewing the Bull Sales’ archive, which reflects the changing trends of the breeds over the years. In the early days there was hardly a catalogue while today we detail the health, genetics and performance of the cattle, showing there is something for everyone.”
The Bull Sales: present and past
The Spring Bull Sales – sponsored by Bank of Scotland – offers 1150 pedigree bulls and females on show and sale from February 2nd and 3rd, continuing on February 16th and 17th at the Stirling Agricultural Centre.
The world-famous event, now known as the Stirling Bull Sales, started in 1865 at the Perth Market in Mill Street. They were conducted by Macdonald and McCallum and comprised 14 Beef Shorthorns selling to a top of 39gns, averaging around 14gns.
JM Fraser became a partner in 1871, aged 26, and Macdonald Fraser was formed. He was widely recognised as the pioneer of the Sales and did much to develop it into an international event.
In the early sales, the numbers forward were small and it wasn’t until 1872 when numbers had increased significantly – and now included Aberdeen Angus – that they warranted a separate sale day from the normal Friday market.
Held on a Wednesday in mid-March, 75 shorthorns sold for a total of £1964.
1875 saw the company move to larger premises at Caledonian Road and a sale on March 12th 1879 attracted the largest number of buyers including, for the first time, several from overseas, including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
By 1892 the two breeds had separate sale dates: 286 Angus were sold on February 24th while 242 Shorthorns sold on March 2nd.
The biggest prices came during two separate post-war booms. In 1920’s spring sale of Shorthorns, 486 averaged £302 with a top of 6600gns. This was significant because in all that year 2061 bulls sold to an average of £270.
The next boom was in 1946 when brothers Pittodrie Upright and Pittodrie Uprise fetched 14,500gns and 14,000gns, respectively – an impressive amount for that time.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, the Bull Sales had a big influence on the rise of Angus cattle to the US and Argentina. New names in the export trade included Alexander, Schofield and Gammie who were shipping to Buenos Aires and Clint Tomson of Harding and Harding was purchasing for the US.
A groundbreaking influx of Charolais and Simmental breeds camein the early 1970s with Limousins following in the late ‘70s.
Consequently, the Bull Sales was the largest collective sale of Charolais and Simmental in Europe by the 1990s. The catalogue for October 1990 records the sale of 356 Simmental and 510 Charolais.
The event moved from Perth in 2009 and is now well established at Stirling Agricultural Centre in 2009 where it continues to thrive.
-Ends-
Issued by JK Consultancy on behalf of United Auctions. For further information, please contact Jenny Kumar on 07989 557198 / jenny@jkconsultancy.com
Notes to Editor:
Judges
Aberdeen-Angus – Bob Lane, Windy Meadow Farm, Edgmond, Newport
Beef Shorthorn – Nigel Miller, Stagehall, Stow, Galashiels
Hereford – Andrew Rennie, Hood Farm, Cambuskenneth, Stirling
Limousin – Alasdair MacNab, Alagils Herd, Kildun Cottage, Dingwall, Highland
Salers – Steven Sandison, Millburn, Harray, Orkney
Simmental – Michael Barlow, Four Oaks, Ulnes Walton Lane, Leyland
Charolais – Michael Massie, Mains of Elrick, Auchnagatt, Ellon
Show and Sale Programme
Sunday 1 February |
9 am |
Aberdeen Angus bull inspection |
12 noon |
Beef Shorthorn bull inspection followed by Hereford bulls |
2 pm |
Limousin inspection |
4 pm |
Parade of pairs of Aberdeen Angus bulls |
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|
Monday 2 February |
8 am |
Show of Aberdeen Angus females followed by bulls |
1 pm |
Show of Beef Shorthorn females followed by bulls followed by show of Hereford bulls |
3pm |
Collective sale of Aberdeen Angus females (101) including drafts from Ballathie, Belhaven, Hillfoots and Retties followed by major reduction of the Chathill herd (66) |
5 pm |
Collective sale of Beef Shorthorn females (27) including draft from Chapelton |
|
|
Tuesday 3 February |
9 am |
Show of Limousin females followed by bulls |
10.30 am |
Sale of Aberdeen Angus bulls (196) |
1.30 pm |
Sale of Beef Shorthorn bulls (102) following by Luing bull (1) and Hereford bulls (8) |
3.30 pm |
Sale of Limousin bulls (131) followed by females (8) |
|
|
Sunday 15 February |
9 am |
Simmental bull inspection |
12 noon |
Inspection of Salers followed by British Blue bulls |
12.30 pm |
Charolais bull inspection |
4 pm |
Show of Salers bulls followed by females followed by parade of British Blue bulls, females and British Blonde bulls |
5 pm |
Show of Simmental females |
|
|
Monday 16 February |
8 am |
Show of Simmental bulls |
12 noon |
Sale of Salers bulls (22) followed by females (17) including draft from Seamore followed by British Blue bulls (4) and females (3) followed by British Blonde bulls (3) |
12 noon |
Show of Charolais females followed by bulls |
1 pm |
Sale of Simmental females (50) including drafts from Beeches, Dirnanean, Innerwick, Skerrington and Wolfstar |
1.30 pm |
Sale of Simmental bulls (207) |
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|
Tuesday 17 February |
10.30 am |
Sale of Charolais bulls (239) followed by females (20) including draft from Mornity |
About United Auctions
United Auctions (UA) are Scotland’s leading livestock auctioneers and procurement specialists and operate a network of different auction markets across Scotland, including Stirling, Huntly, Lairg, Dalmally, Tiree, Islay, South Uist and an area office and lairage facility at Oban. The company conducts auctions of both commercial and pedigree livestock, including the world-famous Stirling Bull Sales, and provides farm-to-farm and farm-to-abattoir procurement services. In 2013, UA was named in the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’.