A RECENT annual production sale of Suffolk females from the Lakeview and Burnview flocks met a flying trade at the Royal Ulster Showground, Belfast, where prices reached a high of 8000gns, setting a new Northern Ireland record for a Suffolk female. 
That was paid for a gimmer from Gary Beacom’s 140-ewe Lakeview flock, based at Fivemiletown, Co Fermanagh, who sold 27 ewes and gimmers to average £1454.25 at a 100% clearance rate. An ET bred by the 25,000gns Rhaeadr Rolex, out of a Solwaybank Major-sired ewe, this gimmer is a full brother to Lakeview Black Gold which sold at the National show and sale for 4500gns. 
Successfully flushed in August to Rookery Rodeo, with seven implanted embryos included in this transaction, she changed hands due with twins and back in lamb to the same sire, to Stewart Craft’s Lomondview flock, Fife. 
Mr Beacom’s next best at 5800gns, which sold to Bryan Doyle, Co Wexford, was a similarly bred ET gimmer which scanned with a single to Rookery Rodeo. 
Her dam’s ET sister previously sold for 4000gns to the Ashley Bothwell’s Smithston flock, at Patna, Ayr, and her grand-dam, a Garryhinch Empire-sired ewe, was supreme champion at Balmoral in 2011 and again in 2013. 
The next gimmer sold, this time an ET bred by Solwaybank Major, out of a Cairness Classic Fyvie ewe, made 2800gns when snapped up by Ian and Judith Barbour for their Solwaybank flock, near Annan. She sold scanned with two to Solwaybank Sapphire. 
Females from William and Stephanie Tait’s  60-ewe Burnview flock near Omagh, also met a strong demand when they sold their best for 4600gns, 4100gns and 3000gns. 
The couple who sold 19 gimmers to average £1070; nine ewe lambs at £1412 and 17 ewes at £602, saw their dearest sell to Ian Donald. This  was a ewe lamb by Birness Murray, out of a Forkins Ferrari-bred dam. First in her class at both the Northern Ireland championships and Omagh Show, she is a full sister to the 8000gns reserve champion at Stirling, last year. 
A gimmer bred the same way as the previous sale then made 4100gns  to Sean McCloskey. That was a triplet bred out of a dam which has produced direct sales totalling more than £23,000 to date. She sold scanned carrying twins having been AI’d to Strathbogie I’m Invincible.
Selling for 3000gns was another ET ewe lamb by Birness Murray, this time out of a Birness Bacardi-sired ewe, whose ET sister bred this year’s Kelso champion at 2500gns. She was purchased by Stephen Cobbald.