THE dispersal sale of two leading pedigree Ayrshire herds take place at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, on Wednesday.

The Bailiffscourt herd has been owned by the Dowager Marchioness of Normanby for more than 60 years.

It has flourished at Phipps Farm on the Mulgrave Estate, Whitby, under the management of Keith Thompson.

The conformation of the herd is very high and the sale will include six Excellent, eight Very Good, 16 Good Plus cows and three Very Good milking heifers.

One of the UK’s most notable and successful pedigree Ayrshire herds, it is highly productive, producing high-quality milk mostly from grass on a simple management system.

The sale will include 22 heifers in milk, 22 second lactation cows, 13 third lactation cows and 13 four-plus lactation cows.

Sires within the milking herd include Haresfoot Khan, Stamford Missing Link, Castern Tornado, Bailiffscourt Triple Fortune and Stamford Chocolate Nugget. Young stock are sired by Heydale Windjammer, Twemlow Admiral Glen and Ardmore Crown Napier.

The entire herd has been tested clear of BVD and is up to date with booster vaccinations.

The herd is also TB free.

The Bailiffcourt sale starts at 11am and will be followed by the dispersal sale of the Isle of Bute’s Bruchag Herd on behalf of J McAlister & Sons whose family has farmed on the island since 1506, milking Ayrshire’s since 1944.

Its sale involves 20 milking heifers, 15 second lactation cows, 14 third lactation cows, nine fourth lactation cows and nine having had five or more calves.

The two current herd sires, Bruchag Memorial and Bruchag Starman, both display modern Ayrshire traits. The herd is officially BVD-tested clear and TB free.

Auctioneer Glyn Lucas, said: “These are both magnificent pedigree Ayrshire herds and the opportunity to buy such high calibre cattle really is rare, and one that should not be missed.”