DESPITE THE reduced numbers, the top end of lambs on display at the Royal Highland Winter Fair were well up to the mark, with both the champion and reserve pairs – Beltex and Texel crosses respectively – being described as ‘easy winners’.

The judge, Joe Greenhill of Matheson Jess, Brechin, also pointed out that the quality of lambs being slaughtered this year has improved, with more lambs meeting the ‘spec’. But contrary to popular belief, he said: “Individual breeds don’t come into it when it comes to producing superior quality lamb. Quality is dependant on conformation and gigot and there were a lot of good sheep in each section here today, although, some of the pairs down the line didn’t match.”

Nevertheless, both the champion and reserve winners were continental bred, with the supreme pair from regular winners, the Hall family, from Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Cumbria, being pure-bred Beltex ewe lambs.

The family – brothers John and Peter and John’s daughter Joanne – who run 1000 Beltex and Beltex crosses and 1000 Cheviots, were in fact winning their third overall championship here and just fresh from lifting the sheep carcase title at Bridge of Allan at the weekend.

Their winning duo this time, a pair of April-born ewe lambs, are by Corra Lester, a tup bred by Glen and Heather Forsyth, bought at Carlisle, in 2008, for 2800gns and out of home-bred Beltex ewes. Brought out by Johnny Aitken, on their first outing, they later sold for £300 a head to Joe Mulholland, Great Orton, Carlisle. Notably, the Halls, who brought three pens to Ingliston, secured top tickets with all their home-bred lambs, having lifted two firsts and a second.

The MacTaggarts – father Brian and son David – who manage the sheep enterprise at Douganhill Farms, Castle Douglas, are never far away from the main awards and this year was no exception, winning the reserve overall with their Texel champions – home-bred ewe lambs. Tops this year for the duo, who are responsible for 150 pedigree Texels; 600 North Country Cheviots and 100 Texel cross ewes, was a pair by a home-bred tup retained for breeding by Hullhouse Hanky Panky, which also bred the champion and reserve winners here in 2007. They went onto make £165 each to R Lawson, East Mains, Carnwath.