Penguin herd provides seedstock for two new Aberdeen-Angus herds

A first prize Aberdeen-Angus cow from the Royal Highland Show has been sold for £20,000 to a new breeder in Northern Ireland.

The cow, Penguin Dolly, which went on to win the award for the best cow in the Aberdeen-Angus classes at Ingliston, has been sold by breeder, Bob Lane, Windy Meadows Farm, Edgmond, Newport, Shropshire, for what is believed to be a record price for an Aberdeen-Angus female sold into Northern Ireland.

Buyer is retired builder, Trevor Wallace, 68 Grove Road, Dromore, Co Down, who is building up a small herd based on females purchased at the recent dispersal sale of Bernard Mairs’ Croftburn herd at Ballyclare, Co Antrim.

Sired by the home-bred, Penguin Toni Bear, the cow was sold with a heifer calf at foot by the 10,000gns Perth purchase, Haymount Wutz.

“We liked the cow when we saw her in the cattle lines before the show and did the deal to buy her even before she entered the show ring,” said Mr Wallace. “We are very happy with her now we have got her home.”

Mr Wallace is being assisted by well-known stockman, Gary Hanna, and hopes to show the cow at the Balmoral Show next year.

Mr Lane, a former president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, has also sold 21 females and a stock bull to retired Staffordshire dairy farmer, Tom Campbell, Mobberley Farm, Tean Road, Cheadle.

Earlier this year, Mr Campbell sold off all his dairy cows as they came to calving but found himself suffering withdrawal symptoms with no cattle around the farm.

“We used Aberdeen-Angus bulls on our dairy heifers and reared all the offspring for the beef market so we are familiar with the attributes of the Aberdeen-Angus breed,” said Mr Campbell.

“We want to establish a nice herd of Aberdeen-Angus and I’m over the moon with the purchases from Penguin.”

Mr Campbell added that he was confident his beef enterprise would prove more profitable than the “disastrous” returns from dairying in recent years.