Cockerington Poll Charolais Herd Dispersal Announced
A unique opportunity to secure some of the very best in elite poll Charolais genetics comes to Carlisle’s Borderway Mart this spring, as R & A Needham Farms Ltd disperse their renowned Cockerington Herd. This complete dispersal will take place at Harrison & Hetherington’s Borderway Mart on Saturday 9th May, as part of the company’s annual Charolais Bull Sales.
After more than 55 years of meticulous and dedicated pedigree breeding, this is the first time that stock from the Cockerington herd has been offered for sale off-farm. The sale will include 100 pedigree poll Charolais cattle, comprising:
• 54 cows with calves at foot and in-calf cows
• 25 two-year-old heifers
• 19 yearling heifers
• 2 Swedish imported stock bulls
All calves are registered pedigree, with the herd’s performance recorded through Breedplan.
The Cockerington herd is 100% polled and predominantly homozygous polled, offering buyers the significant advantage of producing calves without horns, even when bred to horned bulls. This makes it an extremely attractive investment for pedigree Charolais breeders looking to strengthen existing programmes or take a major step into poll breeding.
Commercial Sales Manager Grant Anderson of Harrison & Hetherington gives further background:
“Sales of this calibre are exceptionally few and far between and cattle of this quality are rarely seen. The Cockerington herd is one of the most respected names in poll Charolais breeding, and to offer the entire herd at Borderway presents a unique opportunity for breeders. With a loyal client base stretching from Land’s End to Shetland, as well as across Wales and Ireland, the Cockerington name has long been synonymous with quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction.
The quality of the stock for sale cannot be overstated and given the herd’s reputation, performance, and the growing interest in polled genetics, demand is expected to be extremely strong.”
The Needham family from Hill House Farm near Louth in East Lincolnshire, were amongst the first importers of the Charolais breed to the UK in 1969. Over the years, founder Ralph Needham established the poll genetics by crossing Lincoln Red cattle with Charolais and retaining the best females. The herd has evolved through a highly selective and long-established breeding programme, alongside the introduction of polled Swedish genetics. Cattle have been bred with a clear commercial focus, prioritising easy calving (with only two veterinary interventions in the past 10 years), temperament, high fertility, strong skeletal development, natural fleshing, and poll genetics to eliminate the need for dehorning.
Breeder Alistair Needham commented:
“This dispersal marks the end of an era, with the herd built on the vision and dedication of my father, Ralph Needham, whose pioneering work in the breed laid the foundation for what is now one of the most distinctive poll Charolais herds in the UK.
From the very beginning we have been committed to developing poll genetics, with a strong focus on producing easy-calving, well-tempered, and naturally polled cattle, and we are proud to have been among the first to take this route in the UK.
We have always been fortunate to have strong demand for the herd’s genetics, and it has been a very difficult decision to disperse. So, on behalf of the family, I would like to thank the many customers who have supported us over the years”.
All calves born are pedigree registered and approximately 80% of the youngstock including over 28 bulls from Cockerington has been sold annually playing a key role in establishing new pedigree herds throughout the UK. All stock for sale will be available to view at Borderway on Friday 8th May prior to the sale. To download a catalogue and full details of the sale in advance please visit –www.harrisonandhetherington.co.uk
Furthe detailed information about Cockerington Charolais can be found on www.pollcharolais.co.uk . For a video please visit https://youtu.be/MxRcYEKoBEk
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