BRITAIN'S largest autumn livestock showcase - the 2015 Borderway Agri Expo - has been hailed a 'resounding success' with more than 840 cattle and sheep entries making the event 'highly competitive'.

Organiser and Harrison and Hetherington operations director David Pritchard said the event proved that 'farmers and breeders care as much about quality and condition as they do about profits and margins'.

He said the £15,000 prize fund served as an incentive 'second-to-none', but added that 'showing was not just about winning'.

“Yet again Agri Expo has been a resounding success, from the many livestock exhibitors, to the trade stand it is their time and commitment to the day which results in the leading autumn livestock showcase," said Mr Pritchard. "Most importantly it is with thanks to our sponsors at all levels, without their support the event would certainly not happen.”

The Supreme Champion in the cattle classes was scooped by Tudor Edwards & Family, of Corwen, North Wales with their red Limousin cross home-bred heifer Biwt while Reserve Champion was The Real McCoy, a red home-bred Limousin cross steer, shown by Messrs Slack and Haughen, Newby, Penrith.

Reserve Heifer Champion was a black Limousin cross, Lavish Alice, shown by John Williams, Blaenau Ffestiniog. Reserve Steer Champion was Jumping Jack Flash, a British Blue cross from Neil Slack, Penrith.

In the sheep classes the Supreme Championship title went to James Whiteford, Tercrosset, Brampton, Carlisle, with his pair of Beltex cross lambs. The Reserve Champion was won by Holly and April Skelton, Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Carlisle with their pair of Beltex cross lambs.

The Hill-bred Champion Lambs was won by Hugh Hamilton, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire with a pair of Blackface Lambs, and the reserve was won by Alec Main from Bewcastle with a pair of North Country Cheviot Lambs.

The Champion in the class for Lambs Bred from a Hill Ewe was won by Ivanhoe Livestock, Bedale, North Yorkshire with a pair of Beltex Cross Cheviot lambs, and the reserve champion was J & D Richardson, Howe Gill, Lamplugh with a pair of Texel cross Herdwick Lambs.

A big attraction to the sheep classes was the special class for the best pair of Mule gimmer lambs. This award was won by Graham Jackson of High Bentham, Lancaster.

Sheep judge Richard Henderson, of Turiff, Aberdeenshire, said: “This has been a really enjoyable experience and thanks must go to the exhibitors presenting the show of sheep that they have reared and put forward for judging, the standard of sheep has been very high. In the top two or three of the lowland sheep classes are lambs as good as any I have seen in my life. The overall Champion and Reserve were of an exceptional quality and very uniform.”