Buyers throughout the country are set to seek out prize-winning livestock, suitable for further exhibition, at next week’s Thainstone’s Spectacular – one of Scotland’s leading livestock events.
The event is organised by Aberdeen & Northern Marts and takes place at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie on Friday 24th August. The annual show and sale of weaned calves and store cattle attracts a wide audience of buyers, sellers and spectators, as buyers source prize-winning livestock from the summer show circuit.
Jointly sponsored by chartered accountancy firm Anderson, Anderson and Brown, and law firm Blackadders solicitors, the event will showcase a line-up of 45 entries, including top show stock competing for the championship titles.
John Angus, head of Livestock at Aberdeen & Northern Marts, commented: "The Spectacular event is one of our highlights of the year and a great opportunity for buyers to source top-class livestock capable of competing at other national events. As always, we will have an outstanding line-up of summer show champions and a diverse range of prize-winning cattle.”
The event’s judge will be Mr Dermot Small, with a £4,000 cash prize fund and an array of trophies to be won. The show begins at 9.30am with the sale set to start at 2:00pm following the Mart’s regular Friday sale.
In this year’s line-up, Balfour Baillie, a noted industry breeder from Orkney, will be entering a team of four from across the water, including the Orkney County Show overall champion and cross-bred winner – a December 2017 born Limousin cross steer, sired by Craigatoke Jameson.
Also from Orkney, Keith Eunson will be exhibiting his two prize winners from the best group of three at the Orkney County Show. Keith’s steer stood reserve to the champion, and his heifer was first in its class.
Barry Paterson, Cairndaie Croft, Sauchen has entered an April-born, home-bred Limousin cross bullock calf Archie’s Boy by Lodge Hamlet, which was named reserve in the commercial category at the Banchory Show.
John and Craig Robertson of Logierait Farm, winners of this year’s Royal Northern Spring Show in the exhibition cattle section, are consigning a team of 10 animals. The Robertsons also realised the top price of £6,000 at last year’s Spectacular for their 11-month-old Limousin cross bullock which was the competition’s champion bullock and achieved the British Limousin Cattle Society prize.
Last year’s Spectacular winners, Mark and Debbie Munro, have entered a team of seven from Invercharron Farm, Ardgay, Sutherland. One of their favourite heifers has picked up the first prize at every outing she has made this summer, and they will also be exhibiting a bullock which took the championship at the Nairn Show.
A strong team of three will also compete from well-known breeders Robertson and Sons from Fodderletter Farms.
Aberdeen & Northern Marts is once again offering a special buyers’ incentive of £500 for any Spectacular entry that goes on to win the Overall Live Cattle Championship at a number of future shows, including the East of England Winter Stock Festival, Countryside Live, Borderway Agri Expo, Royal Welsh Winter Fair, Livescot 2018 and Thainstone’s own ‘Aberdeen Christmas Classic’. To qualify, the winning entry must have been purchased at the Spectacular, exhibited by the buyer, and sold at the event as a champion.
For those unable to attend on the day, this year’s sale will again benefit from the i-bidder.com online auction system, allowing bidders to view the sale in real-time and bid against ringside buyers for entries. The event will be streamed live on ANM Group’s Facebook channel, with live photo updates throughout the day. Photographs of the entries can also be seen before the event on the Mart’s website.
