GROSS sales of pedigree cattle, sold at official British Limousin Cattle Society (BLCS) auction sales in 2014, totalled more than £6.6m - almost £1m more than the previous year.

Seventeen collective sales held at Carlisle, Stirling, Brecon, Dungannon, Ballymena and Aberdeen grossed more than £3.733m. Official BLCS breeders’ sales, which comprise of production, reduction and dispersal sales, grossed a further £2.911m on behalf of 29 individual herds. Just under 1,900 animals were sold at pedigree Limousin sales in the year.

John Phillips, BLCS chairman, said: "These are terrific figures and reflective of the ongoing demand for the breed and the quality of the cattle being brought forward. The suckler men and the feeders are looking for performance and efficiency. They want easy-calving, cheap to keep, easy managed cattle that are feed efficient, do well and hit the target weights and grades consistently. Limousins are fitting that bill.”

The strong year-on-year demand for Limousin females also showed no signs of slowing with the breeders’ sales in the year themselves grossing just shy of £3m and up by over £900,000.

In the last ten years, Limousin pedigree sales have grossed more than £58m. In 2014, 56 animals made 10,000gns or more with the highest proportion of bulls making between 2,000gns and 5,000gns.

Highlights of the year included Glenrock Illusion, a maiden heifer from Stephen and Helen Illingworth, Lockerbie, sell for a Limousin world record, and UK and European all-breeds record of 125,000gns. The highest priced bull was the 55,000gns Aultside Hulk from Garry Patterson, Keith, Banffshire.