NI Simmental Cattle Breeders’ Club Report by Keith Nelson, Chairman
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was honoured to become Chairman of the Northern Ireland Simmental Cattle Breeders Club in 2021.
Knockreagh Kilroy ET sold for 10,000gns at Stirling, setting a new herd record for herd owners Val and Conrad Fegan.
We have experienced unprecedented times in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic. As a club, and as individual breeders, we have had to adapt and derive new ways of doing business, marketing and promoting our herds and the Simmental breed. It has been a challenging year in many ways for farmers, but the popularity of the Simmental breed continues to grow from strength-to-strength. NI-bred cattle are highly sought after, and even during a pandemic, breeders have been able to utilise social media to sell pedigree livestock and embryos to customers in mainland UK, the EU and Australia. Club members also embraced technology to attend the club’s first-ever virtual AGM.
Sale leader at the April Dungannon sale was the 5,600gns Ashland Lad bred by Pat and Frank Kelly, Tempo.
In February a small number of breeders made the trip to the premier spring sale in Stirling. Northern Ireland breeders were conspicuous by their absence. Initially 32 NI-bred bulls were entered for the sale, but numbers dropped dramatically when the NI Protocol rules dictated by the EU following Brexit were implemented in January. Only two local herds made the brave decision to make the journey across to Scotland. Val and Conrad Fegan set a new herd record of 10,000gns for the May 2019 born Knockreagh Kilroy; while WH Robson and Sons sold the July 2019 Kilbride Farm Kanye for 6,500gns. The 8th of March marked a significant milestone in the history of the NI Simmental Club, as it celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the club’s formation. Committee member Julie Wallace compiled a comprehensive report and pictures, highlighting the last 50 years, which was published in the local farming press. The spring sale was held in Dungannon in early April. The pre-sale show wasn’t permitted due to the regulations, but there was a good entry of quality stock on offer. Sale topper at 5,600gns was the fifteen-month-old Ashland Lad bred by Pat 160
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Chairman Keith Nelson; and vice-chariman Andrew Clarke, were elected at the club’s Virtual AGM.
and Frank Kelly. He was sold for export to telephone bidders WJ Frazer and Sons from Banffshire in Scotland. The next best price was 4,100gns was paid to the Robson family
for the October 2019 Kilbride Farm Karl. This polled entry was also exported to Scotland, selling to Lachlan Quarm’s Annick Herd in Ayrshire. Three bulls sold for 3,000gns each. Two of these were bred by Nigel Glasgow of the Bridgewater Farm Herd; with the other coming from William and Keith Stubbs’ Rehall Herd. A small female entry topped at 1,900gns for Jonathan Henderson’s Drumsamney Caramels Belle. Two heifers sold to average £1,890, and six bulls sold to level at £3,623, representing an increase of £863 on the 2019 sale.
