WINTER FAIRS The Texel Sheep Society through its sponsorship programme has encouraged participation at a range of Primestock shows with Texels leading the way in a number of championships, both for live lambs and carcasses across the UK.
AGRI-EXPO
A pair of 44.5kg purebred Texels from Andrew Bishop took the reserve overall championship at October’s Agri-Expo, Carlisle. This pair, which won the over 40kg purebred Texel class are by homebred sire Luggsmill Dillon and later in the season won the Texel class at the Royal Highland Winter Fair. Mr Bishop also won the class for lambs up to 40kg with another pair of Luggsmill Dillon sired lambs. Second place in both Texel classes went to lambs from John and Peter Hall, Inglewood Edge, Carlisle.
BALLYMENA PRIME STOCK WINTER FAIR
Elizabeth McAllister, Kells, lifted the overall championship at Gleno Valley YFC Fatstock show and sale, Ballymena Mart, having already secured the Texel Champion with her pair of Texel cross lambs. These super pair of lambs were purchased by Nigel Logan, Hillstown Meats, Ahoghill, selling for £280. Elizabeth also took second place in the Texel Class while a pair of lambs bred by John Young, Castlederg, took third place. Texels and Texel crosses consistently featured at the top of Northern Irish Primestock show and sales in 2011, with these events the showcases for commercial lamb producers. Despite increasing competition from other breeds the Texel have continually proven to be the breed which efficiently produces a high proportion of lean meat, improving margins for all involved.
ENGLISH WINTER FAIR
Texels were once again to the fore at the English Winter Fair, with Steve and Sara Gibbons, Hay-on-Wye, taking the supreme championship with their pair of 51kg Dutch Texel lambs. These homebred lambs had won the Texel class before going on to take the overall championship under judge Martin Brown, Bedale. Mr Brown went on to buy the lambs at £590/apiece (£11.39/ kg). And there was further success for the breed in the butchers’ lambs classes at the event too, with Robin Slade (Weekfield) taking first place in four of the six classes with homebred Dutch Texel sired lambs from his 400-ewe flock at Leominster, Herefordshire. The breed continued the winning ways in the carcass competition too, with Owen and Anne Beresford (Hollyfields), taking both the championship and reserve championship with Dutch Texel sired lambs. Champion was a 24.1kg carcass, while reserve was another heavyweight, a 25.8kg carcass. These sold at £10/kg and £10.30/kg, respectively.
ROYAL WELSH WINTER FAIR Texel sired lambs took the reserve championship honours in both the single and pairs carcass classes at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, with Dutch Texel cross lambs collecting the tickets. In the single lamb classes the reserve championship honours went to Herefordshire-based Robin Slade with his 19.5kg E3L carcass. This one
SHEEP SOCIETY
had weighed 35kg live and later sold at £300 (£15.38/kg). And in the carcass pairs class the reserve champion was a pair of Dutch Texel crosses from I T Davies and Son, Brecon. These both weighed 20.5kg dead, having weighed 37kg apiece live. One of these graded E2, with the other an E3L.
www.texel.co.uk
EAST OF ENGLAND SMITHFIELD FESTIVAL - RABI A pure bred Dutch Texel lamb, bred and exhibited by Robin J Slade, Pembridge, Hereford, won the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) perpetual trophy at the East of England Smithfield Festival. The RABI charity sheep class, first introduced at the Royal Smithfield Show in 2004, is an open class for single lambs of any breed or cross, the sale price of which is donated to the farming charity. As a result of the generosity of the eight exhibitors, who donated lambs, and of the auctioneers, Newark Livestock Market, who waived their commission, 100% of the sale price went to RABI, raising over £920. Mr Slade’s Texel sold for the top price of £170.
SMITHFIELD FESTIVAL EAST OF ENGLAND Texel sired entries made their mark at the inaugural East of England Smithfield Festival, Peterborough, with a pair Texel sired lambs weighing 87kg taking the reserve supreme championship for Andrew and Becky Bishop, Gloucestershire. This duo, which had stood reserve champion Continental sired lambs at the event, are by Luggsmill Dylan and also collected the purebred Continental championship. And a Dutch Texel sired lamb from Robin Slade, Leominster, took the reserve championship honours in this section too. This one, which graded E3L later sold for £105 to Wimberley Hall Farm Shop, Spalding.
ROYAL HIGHLAND WINTER FAIR Winning the Texel championship at the Royal Highland Winter Fair, Edinburgh, were a pair of Luggsmill Dillon sired lambs from Gloucestershire-based Andrew Bishop. This pair won the Francis Brown Perpetual Challenge Trophy on Mr Bishop’s first time at the Scottish event. Reserve champion Texels were an 89kg pair also from Mr Bishop. These, again sired by Luggsmill Dillon and had previously won the lightweight class for Texel sired lambs at the event.