A Limousin Cross heifer from Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie stood overall champion at the Aberdeen Christmas Classic, held at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie on Monday 27^th and Tuesday 28^th of November.   

The annual event, held in conjunction with Aberdeen Fatstock Association and kindly sponsored by Rapid Project Development (RPD), attracted a tremendous line-up of prime and butchers’ animals from well-known stockmen and women throughout Scotland.   

Taking the Overall Christmas Classic Open Championship, when tapped out by judge Ryan Briggs from Briggy’s Quality Butchers was a February 2022-born heifer scaling 620kgs. The heifer sired by Uptonley Living the Dream and out of a Limousin cross dam, sold for the top price of £4,800 to Mr Scott Watson, on behalf of B T Kitson Butchers, Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire.

Wilson Peters also took the Champion Butchers award for a homebred Limousin cross heifer, scaling 552kgs. Sired by Carmon Lionbar, out of a Limousin cross dam, this September 2022-born heifer sold to £3,800 to weekly supporter Alistair Bruce of Bruce of the Broch Butchers, Fraserburgh. 

The overall reserve champion was awarded to W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul, for a homebred Limousin cross bullock scaling 734kgs, selling to the main sponsor John-Paul and James Duxbury from RPD for £3,000.

The Overall Reserve Butchers Champion was awarded to a Limousin cross heifer scaling 580kgs from H D Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud which sold for £2,600 to John Scott Meats, Paisley.

Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie Buckie, stood Young Farmers’ champion with a May 2022-born Limousin cross heifer scaling 644kgs, which sold for £3,000 to Border Meats, 19 High Street, Lockerbie. 

Taking the reserve champion in the Young Farmers’ section was Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff, for a July 2021-born Limousin cross heifer scaling 696kgs, which realised £2,700 to Bowland Foods, Preston.

A British Blue cross heifer bred by the Robertsons at Logierait exhibited by Blair Duffton and Steven Smith, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly scaling 664kgs realised £4,026 (610ppkg) to Sunnyhill Farms. 

The next top price of £2,680 or 335p per kg came from the Fraser family, Easter Clune Farm, Lethen, Nairn, for a homebred, September 2021-born Limousin cross heifer which sold to Border Meats, 19 High Street, Lockerbie.

Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Glenkindie made the next top price of £2,546 or 335p per kg for another Limousin cross heifer scaling 764kgs selling to Bowland Foods. Followed by an August 2021-born Aberdeen Angus heifer from the Ross Bros, Wardhead, Strichen which realised £2,520 (315ppkg) to Border Meats, 19 High Street, Lockerbie.

The next top price of £2,508.25 was paid for an April 2022-born Aberdeen Angus cross Heifer scalling 636kgs from Sheep Park Farms, Sheep Park, Bridge of Marnoch selling to Forbes Raeburn Butchers, Bogie Street, Huntly.

In the Open Unhaltered Beef Cattle section judge Charlie Anderson, Nether Stenries Farm, Carrutherstown awarded champion to H D Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud for a homebred Limousin cross heifer scaling 574kgs which sold to Ryan Briggs, of Briggy’s Quality Butchers for £2,308.50 (405ppkg).

Mr Anderson tapped out the reserve Unhaltered champion from Angus Greenlaw, Sheep Park Farms, for Limousin heifer scaling 602kgs selling to John Scott Meats, Paisley for £2,250.

In the Young Farmers Unhaltered section, the champion was awarded to Thomas Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside for a Limousin Cross heifer bred by H Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud scaling 602kgs which sold for £2,340 (390ppkg) to Munros of Dingwall.

The reserve Unhaltered Young Farmers champion went to Emma Smith, Drumnahive, Kildrummy, Alford, for a homebred Limousin cross bullock, which realised £2,378.50 (355ppkg) to Scotbeef, Inverurie.

Tim McDonald, Cull and Prime Cattle Manager at Aberdeen & Northern Marts said: “Another successful Christmas Classic saw 63 head of cattle supported by buyers from all across the United Kingdom saw 43 heifers sell to average 390.5ppkg and 20 bullocks average 345.7ppkg.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Christmas Classic 2023 and we are delighted that main sponsor RPD have confirmed that will continue their sponsorship at the 2024 event.”

Prize List: Prime Cattle 

Haltered Beef Cattle  

Class 1A – Open – Single Haltered Heifer  

Sponsored by Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS)  

Class 1B – Open – Single Haltered Heifer  

Sponsored by GPH Builders Merchants Ltd  

Class 1.1 – Open – Native Heifer & Overall Native Beast 

Sponsored by Gilson Gray LLP  

Class 2 – Single Haltered Bullock  

Sponsored by Towns and Carnie   

Open Haltered Beef Cattle Champion  

(Aberdeen Town Council Perpetual Silver Challenge Cup)   

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 6 Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie – £4,800 

Reserve Champion Open Haltered Beef Cattle  

(His Grace the Duke of Fife Perpetual Challenge Trophy)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 13 W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul – £3,000 

Best Overall Heifer  

(Saphock Perpetual Rose Bowl)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 6 Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie – £4,800 

Reserve Overall Heifer  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 4 D Work & Son, Mains of Dumbreck, Udny, Ellon   

Best Overall Bullock  

(Turriff Agricultural Show Perpetual Tray)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 13 W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul – £3,000 

Reserve Overall Bullock  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 14 Blair Duffton and Steven Smith, 2 Bogie Street, Huntly – £2,384 

Best Animal of Opposite Sex to Champion  

(BOCM Pauls Perpetual Challenge Trophy)  

Lot 13 W Robertson & Son, Fodderletter, Tomintoul – £3,000 

Aberdeen-Angus Society Sponsored Awards  

Best Animal Sired by a Pedigree Aberdeen-Angus Bull   

(Perpetual Trophy)  

Lot 10 H D Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud – £2,460 

Reserve Animal Sired by a Pedigree Aberdeen-Angus Bull  

Lot 11 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly – £2,508.25 

Limousin Society Sponsored Awards  

Best Animal Sired by a Limousin Bull  

(Salver)  

Lot 6 Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie – £4,800 

Butchers Cattle 
Sponsored by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) 

Class 5 – Single Heifer  

Class 6 – Single Bullock  

Butchers Champion  

(Aberdeen Master Butchers’ Association Perpetual Silver Cup)   

Lot 27 Wilson Peters, Cuilt Farmhouse, Monzie – £3,800 

Reserve Butchers Champion  

(J Bibby and Sons Ltd Perpetual Silver Challenge Cup)  

Lot 28 H D Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains, Maud – £2,600 

Best Animal of Opposite Sex to Butchers Champion  

(Perpetual Challenge Trophy)  

Lot 31 Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly – £2,160 

Unhaltered Beef Cattle  

Class 9A – Open Unhaltered Heifer  

Sponsored by East Coast Viners  

Class 9B – Open Unhaltered Heifer  

Sponsored by HRN Tractors 

Class 9C – Open Unhaltered Heifer  

Sponsored by Station Garage Torphins 

Class 10A – Open Unhaltered Bullock  

Sponsored by Balgownie  

Class 10B – Open Unhaltered Bullock  

Sponsored by Biocell Agri Ltd 

Open Unhaltered Champion  

(The Bert Bruce Perpetual Trophy)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 50 – H D Brown, Auchmaliddie Mains Maud – £2,308.50 

Reserve Unhaltered Champion  

(The Gordon Soutar Perpetual Cup)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 52 – Sheep Park Farms, Bridge of Marnoch, Huntly – £2,250 

Best Animal of Opposite Sex to Champion 
(The Bank of Scotland Ice Bucket) 
Sponsored by RPD 

Lot 65 – Lewis Keir, Cairncoullie, Glenkindie – £2,479 

Young Farmers Unhaltered Beef Cattle  

Class 7A – Unhaltered Heifer – Single Heifer  

Sponsored by East Coast Viners  

Class 7B – Unhaltered Heifer – Single Heifer 

Sponsored by GWT Plant Hire Ltd  

Class 7C – Unhaltered Heifer – Single Heifer 

Sponsored by C&M McDonald   

Class 8 – Single Bullock  

Sponsored by HRN 

Champion Unhaltered Cattle  

(The Clydesdale Bank PLC Perpetual Challenge Trophy)  

Lot 39 Thomas Hall, 6 Bruce Brae, Longside – £2,340  

Reserve Champion Unhaltered Cattle  

(The Peter Glass Perpetual Trophy)  

Lot 45 Emma Smith, Drumnahive, Kildrummy, Alford – £2,378.50 

Best Animal of Opposite Sex to Champion  

(The Drew Paterson Perpetual Trophy)  

Lot 23 Isla Henderson, Mains of Wardhouse, Insch – £2,289.75 

Best Animal from First Time Exhibitor  

(Quaich)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 23 Isla Henderson, Mains of Wardhouse, Insch – £2,289.75 

Young Farmers Haltered Prime Cattle  

Class 3A – Single Heifer – Junior Member  

Sponsored by Harbro 

Class 3B– Single Heifer  

Sponsored by R & G Donald Agricultural Engineering LTD 

Class 4A – Single Bullock  

Sponsored by Miller Plant LTD 

Class 4B – Single Bullock – Senior Member  

Sponsored by JD Pipes 

Champion Young Farmers Haltered Cattle  

(Dalgety Agriculture Ltd Perpetual Challenge Trophy)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 17 Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie – £3,000 

Reserve Champion Young Farmers Haltered Cattle  

(Tom Cruickshank Perpetual Trophy)  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 21 Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff – £2,700 

Best Overall Heifer  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 17 Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie – £3,000 

Reserve Overall Heifer  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 21 Cally Harper, Westholme, 7 Deveron Road, Turriff – £2,700 

Best Overall Bullock  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 23 Isla Henderson, Mains of Wardhouse, Insch – £2,289.75 

Reserve Overall Bullock  

Sponsored by RPD  

Lot 24 Lyndsay Nelson, Mains of Lundie Farm, Edzell, By Brechin – £2,244.75 

Best Animal of Opposite Sex to Champion  

(Frank Smart Perpetual Trophy)  

Lot 23 Isla Henderson, Mains of Wardhouse, Insch – £2,289.75 

Best Animal Paraded by a Member Under 21  

(Fowlie Trophy)  

Lot 22 Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie – £2,201.50 

Exhibitor Who Parades Animal in Most Expert Manner  

(Royal Bank of Scotland Salver)  

Lot 22 Anna Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Buckie – £2,201.50 

Reserve Exhibitor Who Parades Animal in Most Expert Manner  

Lot 20 – Hannah Lorimer, Cadgerford, Kingswells – £2,325