New Hereford sale planned

A new event has been added to the Hereford calendar with the introduction of a spring sale of bulls and breeding females by the Elite Hereford Breeders group.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Mar 2016, 08:50 BST
Updated 20th Mar 2016, 09:09 BST

The new sale is on April 4 at the Farmers Mart in Dungannon and will offer a selection of strong young sires ready to turn out with the province’s beef and dairy herds.

“The demand for Hereford bulls is running at a very high level and the new sale is timed to suit the “sweeper bull” market with many farmers switching to natural service sires as herds are turned out to grass.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“At this stage of the year farmers are looking to get their cows settled in calf as quickly as possible,” said Mervyn Richmond of the Elite Hereford group.

“The natural fertility of the Hereford sire makes him the obvious choice for this role. Trials replicated in all the main cattle producing regions of the world show the Hereford will produce more calves per 100 cows put to the bull than any other breed. This comes from a combination of improved conception rates, shorter gestation and lower calf mortality.

“The added advantage of a high value calf to sell is also significant and the breed enjoys a premium in the market – driven by beef producers responding to the demand for high quality beef. The principle retailers are looking to the Hereford for their premium, top end beef offering and consumers are delighted with the quality and consistency of the product,” said Mervyn.

This added value was worth an extra £4m to UK farmers in the last year and is set to grow further as the breeds’ reputation with consumers’ gains momentum.