Morayshire Simmental breeders, Philip Simmers and sons Reece and Andrew, have purchased a Simmental bull privately for £25,000 from Co Antrim-based Leslie and Christopher Weatherup – establishing a new Northern Ireland breed record into the bargain.

Selling at this big money was Lisglass Kirk, a 20-month-old son of the Northern Ireland-bred Mullyknock Gallant, backed by Balmoral Show champions on his mother's side. His dam is the 2017 champion, Lisglass Goddess GP83, which in turn is a daughter of the herd's stock bull, Dermotstown Delboy, a former supreme winner at the Royal Ulster in 2014 and 2015.

Last year Lisglass Kirk was placed sixth in the autumn bull calf class of the British Simmental Cattle Society’s Virtual Show, which attracted no fewer than 68 young bulls born between July and December 2019.

Christopher continued: “We had planned to sell Lisglass Kirk at Stirling in February, but circumstances beyond our control, which included the nonsensical animal movement restrictions outlined by post-Brexit NI Protocol, meant we couldn’t take him to the society’s national showcase event in Scotland. We were extremely frustrated and disappointed.”

The Weatherup family attribute the record-breaking deal to the power of social media. “Until now, I hadn’t fully appreciated the power of social media. My wife Laura took videos, and we posted photographs and details of four Simmental bulls on Facebook for sale,” said Christopher.

“The response went beyond all expectations. Within a short period of time my page was flooded with likes and comments, and the posts were shared numerous times. As a result, all four bulls have been sold to average £9500, with two going to pedigree herds.”

The Simmers from Backmuir Farm, Keith, Banffshire, farm an extensive acreage of mixed arable and grassland, alongside pedigree and commercial suckler enterprises totalling in excess of 600 cows.