East Mainland farmers triumph at Christmas primestock show

Today’s Christmas show of primestock at Orkney Auction Mart saw animals from farms in Orkney’s East Mainland claim all four of the top prizes.

With the show starting at 10.15am, the cattle competition was first and animals shown by Balfour Baillie, Sebay Cottage, Tankerness, took both the champion and reserve titles.

It was a 18-month-old Belgian Blue cross heifer, called Ms Muir, that came out on top.

The heifer was bred by W. S. L. Muir, of Upper Onston, Stenness, was sired by a Belgian Blue cross Limousin bull from Harry Emslie in Aberdeenshire and is out of a home-bred Belgian blue cross cow.

The reserve title went to an 18-month old, Limousin cross stot bred by G. T. S. Coghill, Muce, Birsay. The stot was sired by the bull Ampertain Field Marshall and is out of a Belgian Blue cow. The stot is called Mr Coghill.

In the sheep competition two sets of lambs from James Cowe, Little Howes, Holm, took the two top prizes. The champion pair of lambs were a pair of home-bred Beltex crosses sired by a ram from R. W. Flaws, Nisthouse, Evie, and out of a Texel cross Blue Face Texel ewe.

The pair of lambs that took reserve were home-bred Texel crosses and were sired the ram Westercrosshill Viagra.