Export Sale 2012
Dorset Club Breaks New Ground
Judge Andy Flannagan, Ben Lamb with Champion and Aaron Fearon with Reserve Champion
Judge Andy Flannagan and Ben Lamb with Ram Lamb Champion
Judge Andy Flannagan and William Carson with Ewe Lamb Champion
In response to numerous enquiries from sheep breeders south of the border the Northern Ireland Dorset Club held its first ever export sale in Hilltown Market on Friday 17th August. It was encouraging to see new faces around the sale ring both from the local area and further afield and a 100% clearance rate showed a keen level of interest in the Dorset breed.
The club are indebted to MSD Animal Health for their very generous sponsorship of this event; this company produces many vaccinations which are of great benefit to the sheep breeder, including Heptavac P Plus, Enzovac, Toxovac and Footvac and we are delighted that they were willing to support our inaugural export sale and hope that this association will continue in the future.
Judging in the show ring was in the experienced hands of Mr Andy Flannagan of the Riverside flock, Tassagh, County Armagh. Not only has he bred pure-bred Dorset sheep since the early 1980s, but he is a master butcher and owns a shop in Scotch Street, Armagh in partnership with his son, David, so he certainly knew what he was looking for.
Champion of the show was a young, but very powerful ram lamb produced by Ben Lamb, Richhill, County Armagh, this son of Oliver Tree Nik Nak has the myomax muscle gene. Reserve champion was a senior ram from a first time exhibitor at club sales, Aaron Fearon from Rostrevor. Again this ram handled really well and greatly impressed the judge.
In the sale ring, the champion was sold for 540 gns, top price of the day and found a new home with local breeder Aaron Fearon for his Newross flock. The reserve champion fetched 340 gns and was bought by B Foster who also bought two further rams, one from R Currie for 340 gns and one from W and K Carson for 410 gns. One third of the rams were sold to go south into commercial flocks. The average price for a ram was £422.
In the ewe lamb class there was a clean sweep of rosettes for William and Karen Carson’s Downkillybegs Flock. All their ewe lambs were sired by the High Plains 46-09 (NZ) and gave buyers an opportunity to source new bloodlines. Three of this pen of lambs were among the four top prices in the ewe lamb section, fetching 380 gns (Thomas Wright, Kilraughts, Ballymoney) , 340 gns ( J Smyth, Ballynahinch) and 300 gns ( A Nelson). Top price in this section went to M and C Maybin, Ballymena 420 gns (W and K Carson, Ballymena). Average for ewe lambs was £312.
The N.I Dorset Club were very encouraged by the success of this inaugural export sale and hope that this will become an annual event in the club calendar. The Club would like to thank Louise Robinson, Hilltown Market manager and all the staff at the market for their help and co-operation both in advance and on the sale day.
The next sale date for the N.I club is the 23rd Annual Autumn Show and Sale which will take place on Wednesday 10th October 2012 in McClelland’s Livestock Market, Ballymena.
 Ram Lamb Class |
 Ewe Lamb Class |
