Pure bred Charolais takes East of England Smithfield Festival supreme championship

The Macpherson Family celebrate their Smithfield Charolais success with Allanfauld Fizz

The Kingscup Winner was Dazzler exhibited by Wil Owen

Charolais made history by securing the supreme championship at the inaugural East of England Smithfield Festival, Peterborough on Friday 2 December - the first time a pure bred Charolais has ever won the title and the first time since 1979 that any pure bred has achieved the supreme championship. Taking home the silverware were Ewan Macpherson and his son, Donald, Oban, Argyll with their 19 month old pure bred heifer, Allanfauld Fizz sired by the £20,000 Elgin Davinci and out of a homebred cow Allanfauld Carolyn, Fizz secured the third Smithfield title for the Macpherson family since they began to enter Royal Smithfield in 1988.

Shown in the ring by Donald Macpherson, the 604kg heifer was marked out for the title by judge Tecywn Jones, Llanrwst, Conwy. Mr Jones commented, “Out of a tremendous show of cattle, this heifer really caught my eye with her style, character and correctness. She has an optimum covering of muscle and her length and clean shape is second to none. In the championship, she beat the opposition mainly on her free walking, good legs and overall correctness.”

The Macphersons purchased Fizz from her breeder Archie Macgregor, Kilsyth, in April after Donald placed her as his reserve champion at Stirling and went on to buy her for £1,700. This was the end to a fantastic show season for the Macphersons that had already seen Fizz win the pure breed championship at the Scottish Winter Fair. Fizz went on to sell for £9,000 the following day to Fred Murray, Lowick, Northumberland.

Charolais continued to wipe the board with Dazzler, a homebred 16 month old steer by the homebred Dunadd Dole from Wil Owen, Braich-y-Saint, Gwynedd winning the King’s Cup for the best animal bred by exhibitor. The 638kg Dazzler went on to sell for 240p/kg, £1,531.20 to Worsley Wholesale Butchers, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Queen Bee, a home bred 14 month old heifer from Hugh Dunlop, Cumnock, East Ayrshire was brought into the King’s Cup championship by Tecwyn Jones after he had tapped Dazzler forward as his champion to give her the reserve King’s Cup award. Giving Charolais a one-two in the exhibitor bred championship. Weighing in at 604kg, Queen Bee was not presented for sale.

British Charolais Cattle Society chief executive David Benson commented, “It’s great to end this year on such a high, going into our Golden Jubilee year after winning the supreme championship and King’s Cup at Smithfield and a successful autumn sale circuit with records broken at Stirling, Dungannon and Welshpool proving Charolais bulls are still in high demand.”