The Limousin sale at Brecon on Saturday, November 9 saw a top price of 6,000gns for Dyfri Trooper, with 12 bulls selling to an average of £4,594.

Topper, who was bred and exhibited by Society president Aled Edwards, Llandovery, caught the eye of his new owners MA Lean & Sons, Pyle, Bridgend, when he placed third in his class at the pre-sale show. This November 2022-born, double F94L bull, features in the top 10 per cent of the breed for carcase weight and is bred from French lines. Out of the Fenomen daughter Dyfri Oasis, he is the first bull to be offered for sale by the French National show junior champion Narko.

The reserve overall and reserve senior champion Woodmarsh Tank was next in the trade stakes when he was knocked down sold for 5,500gns to G Jones, Brecon. Son of the 65,000gns Aultside Meanmachine, his dam is Woodmarsh Remy, who goes back to Mereside Lorenzo. Offered for sale by his breeders M & JC Gould, Shrewsbury. Tank is a 22-month-old with an F94L/NT821 myostatin pairing.

Just a few moments later the overall and senior champion Nealford UK was the first of three bulls to be snapped up for 5,000gns. No stranger to show success, this March 2022-born bull has racked up three male championships already this year and was awarded the reserve interbreed accolade at the Royal Cornwall show, for breeders JH Neale & Son, Launceston, Cornwall. Sired by the 17,000gns Loosebeare Nelson, who has bred more than 100 sons and daughters into the Nealford herd since his purchase in 2018, he is bred out of Nealford Joyous, a Procters Cavalier daughter. This shapely bull with a NT821/Q204X myostatin combination features in the top 10 per cent of the national herd for growth and goes on to work in Bishop Auckland for new owners AC Simpson & Son.

The next bull knocked down at 5,000gns, this time to MD Pryce, Shrewsbury, was Deri Universe, an 18-month-old from Mr & Mrs TB Griffiths, Llangain, Carmarthenshire. Homozygous polled and double F94L, both his sire Romarin and dam Nakota were purchased from the Champeval herd in France.

The final 5,000gns bull was another offering from M & JC Gould. A May 2023-born bull, and another with myostatin of F94L/F94L, Woodmarsh Umpire who placed second in his class at the pre-sale show went on to be tapped out as reserve junior champion.

Adding to the sale, there was a great show of heifers and all 11 forward found new homes, with an average of £3,360 for two in-calf heifers while the nine maiden heifers averaged £2,963. The top priced was the champion female Rhiwllech Underwater from DM Howells, Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, who fetched 3,800gns. Purchased by G Morrison, Moray, Aberdeenshire, she is sired by the Petteril Ravello and out of Rhiwllech River who goes back to the French AI sire Requin.

The presale show Judge Jac Thomas, runs a 140-acre farm plus an additional 60 acres of rented land in West Carmarthenshire with his Dad. Their Dafolog prefix was established in 1999 and is thriving with a 90-strong pedigree Limousin suckler herd and a 70 pedigree Charollais sheep. Together their aim is to produce between 20 and 25 breeding bulls per year with the main focus on calving ease and calf vigour.

The Society has thanked all of the exhibitors who bought forward a fantastic show of cattle, Auctioneers McCartneys Rural and the judge for the day, Jac Thomas of the Dafolog herd.

12 bulls: £4,594, 2 in-calf heifers: £3,360, 9 heifers: £2963.33.