Sadly, the October Bull Sales at Stirling will also see the dispersal of two of Scotland's highly prized pedigree herds, as David and Rosemary Dickie and John, Diane and Julie Christie sell off their Knockenjig and Westcarse Beef Shorthorn and Charolais units respectively.

The event will also witness the dispersal of John Loftus' well-known and respected Weeton Aberdeen-Angus herd from Preston, Lancs.

The Knockenjig Beef Shorthorn dispersal comes following just over a decade of dedicated and successful Beef Shorthorn breeding during which time the Dickies have produced several top show and sale winners which have sold to a top of 12,000gns for Knockenjig Foremost, in 2014.

Founded on Glenisla, Glengloy and Gregors females and a Mountbenger heifer, the herd has enjoyed huge success with the use of stockbulls, Cavans Northern Light, Meonhill Charlie Chaplin and Tofts Whisky.

Other notable breeding sires include Glengloy Geronimo that left easy fleshing cattle; Meonhill

Ganster which produced upstanding cattle and females with style while Fearn Jumpstart left his mark in breeding good shape progeny. The most recent stockbull, Leonard of Upsall has bred some particularly promising calves which can be seen.

The long established Westcarse Charolais herd was founded in some shrewd investments in October 1984 with the purchase of Chidlow Unwary, whose second bull calf sold for 4200gns February 1991. That money was then reinvested at the Beauchamp dispersal in March 1991, where Beauchamp

Fortune was purchased for 5100gns, as a seven-month-old embryo calf with her twin sister. A daughter of Lakeland Sagesse – an inter-breed Burke Trophy winner at the Royal Show 1983 – her sire was Livermere Royal another former Burke Trophy winner whose sons and daughters averaged in excess of

6000gns at Perth.

Beauchamp Fortune's full brother, Beauchamp Foreman, was also the foundation sire of JT Wilson’s Ugie herd and sire of the 24,000gns Ugie Legend, sold at Perth.

After that sale, the Christies flushed Fortune to the Irish bull Farouk which resulted in six heifer calves, which alongside a Brampton Embark heifer out of Fortune, are the backbone of a successful breeding herd.

The genetic flush to Farouk is found in the grand-dam of Westcarse Houdini, great grand-dam of of Westcarse Jimmy, as well as dam of the 11,000gns Westcarse Gold.

Meanwhile, the dispersal of the highly successful Weeton herd from Preston, represents all John Loftus' interests in Angus cattle including all embryos.