A LIMOUSIN herd sale - described as a ‘fantastic one-off special’ - is expected to attract interest from breeders far and wide.

Almost the entire Glenrock herd will be going under the hammer at Harrison & Hetherington’s Borderway Mart in Carlisle on Friday, August 22.

The sale will feature 35 cows served and/or suckling with 28 calves, six embryo calves, 19 heifers, two stock bulls and six young bulls.

The Glenrock herd has been built up using the best Limousin bloodlines since it was founded in Yorkshire in 1982 by butcher David Illingworth. His aim was to maximise the best Limousin traits for pedigree and commercial farmers.

Now run by David’s son Stephen and his family, the herd has been based at Howgillside Farm near Lockerbie since 1995.

Stephen said: “We moved to Howgillside on a 20 year tenancy and we are delighted our landlords have given us the opportunity to purchase the farm before our tenancy ends.

“After a great deal of soul searching we have very reluctantly decided to sell the entire herd with the exception of our matriarch Spangle to help fund the purchase of the farm.

“Under usual circumstances these cattle would not be sold; the aim is to progress our farming enterprise and safeguard the farm for the next generation. We will be rebuilding the Glenrock herd for the future from Spangle’s bloodline.”

The Glenrock herd was initially established from two embryos from the Molva dispersal, which came from the same line as the renowned Limousin Broadmadows Tansy, the grand dam of the famous bull Broadmeadows Cannon. The herd was built up by careful breeding and the judicious addition of occasional females such as Rachels Lesley (mother of Spangle) and Rudston Gwen (Rupee’s dam), plus a few selected embryos from France.

Harrison & Hetherington’s operations director David Pritchard said: “This truly is an exceptional opportunity for Limousin breeders to snap up some of the very best genetics available. The Illingworth’s have built up a fantastic herd and we expecting interest from across the UK and beyond for the Glenrock sale.”