THE dispersal sale of the entire Ribble Aberdeen-Angus pedigree herd from Henry Rowntree, of Rowntree Farms, Gisburn, was deemed a runaway success by all concerned when staged at Skipton Auction Mart. (Sat, Sept 22)

Conducted jointly by Craven Cattle Marts and United Auctions in Stirling, Scotland’s leading pedigree livestock auctioneers, it was one of the biggest dispersals of Aberdeen-Angus cattle ever staged in the UK, with 390 head offered for sale, comprising 157 cow and calf outfits, two in-calf cows, 40 in-calf heifers, 26 heifers and seven bulls.

With the main Skipton ring literally packed to the rafters, clearly demonstrating massive interest in the high profile dispersal, the sale saw some tremendous prices and averages. There were 57 individual buyers in total from all four home nations - England, Scotland, as far north as Orkney, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as Belgium.

Joint top calls of 7,500gns fell to a heifer and calf outfit, and one of the bulls. The former was the March, 2016, Ribble Black Belinda S489, by the Fordel Enniskillen H512 son, Ribble Euston L544, out of the Blelack Lord Hancock K453 daughter, Black Belinda N093.

She entered the ring with her March-born heifer calf, Black Belinda U793, by Rulesmains Jimo Eric R666. The dam, AI’d to Fordel Loch Torridon N420, has since run with Fordel Bishop Monkton T780. The high-class duo attracted keen interest at the ringside before falling to Scottish buyers J&T MacFarlane, of Berwickshire.

The joint top price 7,500gns bull was the high performance five-year-old Ribble Eritrean N031, himself by the prolific Fordel Enniskillen, out of the Ribble Plover D472 daughter, Ribble Elka G030. He found a new home in Wales with WT Jones, of Gwynedd.

Another young up-and-coming bull selling well at 7,000gns was the very last entry into the sale ring, the aforementioned March, 2017, Fordel Bishop Monkton, bred by Dinar Estate Management, before joining the Ribble herd. The Fordel Loch Torridon son, out of the Fordel Java Eric H525 daughter, Fordel Border Maid L593, fell to Slawston Grange Estate, based in the Welland Valley in South Leicestershire.

Two further bulls both made 6,000gns. First up was the three-year-old Rulesmains Jimo Eric R666, acquired from breeder Andrew Hodge. The son of Rulesmains Master M258, out of the Carrington Park Time On B7 daughter, Rulesmains Jasmine Erica M302, found pastures new in Ireland with J Doyle, of Co Tyrone.

The second 6,000gns sale was claimed by Ribble Martin Porres S435, a two-year-old bull by Oakchurch Duster M109, out of the Fordel Enniskillen daughter, Ribble Petal Maid M730. going to Addingham’s Max Holmes. Pedigree bulls averaged a heady £5,250.