Highest disclosed price at the first official collective sale of Wagyu cattle in the UK, at Hexham Auction Mart, last weekend, was 4200gns, paid for a full blood heifer.

This 'virtual' sale, was led by the September 2015-born bulling heifer, Uprising Flora, from Uprising Properties, Park Farm, Bishopsteignton, Devon. Sired by Uprising Kobe Akihito and out of Tyddewi FH6996, she boasts strong maternal and milk traits and sold to new breeders, M and K Chippendale, Wharton Hall, Wharton, Kirkby Stephen.

Only two bulls sold, with a lead price of 3500gns paid for the similarly aged American Marine, a fullblood male from Earl Stonham Farms, Creeting St Mary, Suffolk. Carmarthen-based dairy farmers, DI and HGB Evans, Parc Cynog Farm, Pendine, forked out the cash for this rising three-year-old son of Lake Wagyu C87 out of Oasis Senaka J62.

The same buyers also bought the lead priced embryos at 1200gns each for four pairing Sumo Michifuku F126 (sire) with Westholme K5035 (dam). This combination gives a Marble Fineness EBV and Terminal Carcase Index (+$336) in the top 5% of the breed worldwide.

Semen also met a good trade, peaking at 100gns per straw for four straws from the Australian-bred bull, Peppermill Grove, from Delta Wagyu, purchased by Philip Maddocks, Chadwell Park Farm, Newport, Shropshire.

The charity auction of Wagyu meat kindly put up by Northumbrian Wagyu made £300 for the Air Ambulance.

Averages: Four females, £6352; 11 embryos, £869; 70 straws of semen, £78.

Auctioneers: Hexham and Northern Marts