Leading Borderway auctioneer ‘delighted’ to host first on-farm sale in Northern Ireland

Leading livestock auctioneer company, Harrison & Hetherington, will host its first on-farm sale in Northern Ireland next month – and it’s hoped this will be the first of many.
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Harrison & Hetherington is delighted to have been invited to conduct the sale of in-calf heifers on behalf of renowned commercial cattle producer, Jalex Livestock, Randalstown, on Saturday 30 April.

This collaboration aims to open the sale to an increasing interest from mainland UK, whilst supporting buyers in the purchase and investment of some of the finest commercial heifers on offer.

The sale will be conducted by Harrison & Hetherington auctioneer, James Little, and will include over 200 continental cross in-calf heifers, hand-picked and all selected for their size and shape.

All are Johnes, BVD tested and vaccinated and TB tested, which is carried out every four months. All heifers are in calf via a mixture of AI and natural service, with calving dates available for all.

Most will also have sexes provided.

Bulls selected for use include Uptonley Living the Dream, Ampertaine Lance, Elderberry Galahad and Carmorn Cantona.

All heifers are export ready for export to mainland UK, and in order to make the process as simple as possible for buyers, delivery will be arranged to a specialist export centre near Carlisle, from which further transport can be organised.

Senior management team from Harrison and Hetherington. James Little: 27 January 2022
STUART WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Copyright Stuart Walker Photography 2022Senior management team from Harrison and Hetherington. James Little: 27 January 2022
STUART WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY
Copyright Stuart Walker Photography 2022
Senior management team from Harrison and Hetherington. James Little: 27 January 2022 STUART WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY Copyright Stuart Walker Photography 2022

James Little, began working at Harrison & Hetherington when he was just 16 years of age and has been an auctioneer there for the past 15 years.

Speaking to the Farming Life, James said this was an exciting step for the company, which hopes to conduct even more sales in Northern Ireland going forward.

“We really value the Northern Ireland custom and we have had a lot of throughput from Northern Ireland via Carlisle mart.

“Bringing Harrison & Hetherington to Northern Ireland is something we are keen to do.

“Whether it is sheep, dairy or beef, we sell most things.

“We want to help the existing customer base we have over there, and also expand on that.

“We offer a broad client base from across England, Scotland and Wales – where we are situated means we are dealing with people from all corners of the UK and RoI.

“The quality of stock from Northern Ireland is renowned, it’s known for being at the top of the sales, both cattle and sheep, with millions of pounds worth sold over the years.

“It carries a good reputation with strong pedigrees.”

Arranging an on-farm sale in Northern Ireland with Harrison & Hetherington is a very simple process and is no different to the sales carried out by the company on the mainland.

And, with the uncertainties surrounding the movement of animals to and from the mainland, it offers peace of mind to Northern Ireland breeders, keen to sell their stock to a wide range of buyers.

James explained: “We can arrange an initial visit to their premises. We have a portable sale ring which we use on farm.

“The service provided would be the same as what we provide at the mart, with a full range of staff available.”

Looking ahead to next month’s sale in County Antrim, James said the company is “delighted” to be involved.

“I can’t stress how delighted we are,” he stated.

“This is a very special sale with very special heifers - they have all been hand-picked for their size and shape.

“I have known James [Alexander] for many years, and he is a regular purchaser of top-class stock here at Borderway.

“I did not think we would ever see a run of heifers like this – the quality is phenomenal.

“Despite being commercial heifers, due to the traceability requirements in Ireland, James works hard to produce pedigree lineage and family history for each heifer.

“James really does go the extra mile and the information that is available to purchasers is unprecedented.”

The auctioneer said it is an “absolute privilege” to be invited to sell the heifers on behalf of the Alexander family.

“It gives our customers a unique opportunity to invest in some incredible heifers.

“This has been an annual event for several years and we are delighted to be part of it.

“I am certain that, as always, it will be a real spectacle,” James ended.

Proprietor of Jalex Livestock, James Alexander, explained: “Our most recent sales have seen a growing interest from mainland UK and our aim is to further expand our audience and geographical coverage.

“We have invited Harrison & Hetherington to conduct the sale, as one of the most noted UK auctioneers.

“We know they have the resources to offer buyers from mainland UK access to our sales and the quality heifers we sell.”

Calving dates for all heifers will be available in the catalogue, some will be summer calvers but the majority are due from September, this specialist sale is specifically timed for those with autumn calving herds.

With around 80 heifers all holding to AI on the same day, the calving period will be extremely tight reducing labour and allowing the heifers to fit into the buyer’s system as quickly as possible.

Sexed pregnancies also mean buyers can select what best suits their enterprise, whether bull or heifer calves are preferred.

The offering will include a variety of black, blue roan, red and white and red roan heifers, with breeds including Limousin X, British Blue X, Charolais X and Simmental X.

There will also be a selection of show quality heifers available, including some ex-show beasts.

Harrison & Hetherington has arranged for a bus to transport buyers to the sale from mainland UK, which will leave Borderway Mart on the morning of the sale with further collection points en-route by arrangement.

Bidding will also be available online via Harrison & Hetherington and MartEye.

For more information on the sale, and for a hard copy catalogue of entries, please contact James Little on Tel. 07872 840685 or contact Harrison & Hetherington Pedigree Office on Tel. 01228 406 230.

Alternatively, you can visit https://bit.ly/JalexSelectApril30thSale