Seventy years after selling their first bull, the McMordie family’s renowned Solpoll Herd of pedigree Herefords will stage its first production sale in Northern Ireland.
The auction, which will be conducted by auctioneer Halls on Saturday (6 September), features 33 lots comprising 25 cattle, 10 embryos and 25 straws.
Jonny Dymond, Halls’ senior auctioneer, described the event – the first ever Northern Ireland sale for Halls – as “the most exciting sale for the Hereford breed this autumn.”
On offer will be first daughters of Worldwide, alongside daughters from Top Prize, Promoter, Humberto, Pacman and Stamina.
The McMordie family established the Solpoll Herd in 1953, replacing Friesian cows with pedigree Herefords. The original purchases in Dublin gave rise to the current Starlet, Stardust, Dainty, Stella and Pansy families.
“With pedigree cattle the only enterprise on the farm we are proud to have made our living from our pedigree Herefords for three generations of the family,” the McMordies said.
“The success of our cattle in other herds has always left great pride, in particular the performance of Gilbert siring five consecutive Females of the Year and Perfection, twice Sire of the Year.
“By offering the entire 2024 spring born heifer group, the auction is a chance to buy into females that wouldn’t normally be offered for sale and from families which we wouldn’t usually sell.”
The sale, hosted by John and William McMordie at Solitude, 58 Belfast Road, Ballygowan, County Down, will begin at 1pm with viewing from 11am.
It will be held both in person and online through the MartEye platform, marking 70 years since the family sold their first bull for breeding.
The sale includes 18 in-calf heifers and one maiden heifer by six different sires, together with six bulls, also by six sires, providing a wide range of bloodlines.
“The dams of these bulls have all proven themselves as top breeding cows in the herd,” the family added. “The belief that the right stock bull is never expensive has led us to always buy the best we can afford and it has largely paid off.”
Solpoll has won the Hereford Northern Ireland Herds competition on numerous occasions and has twice been named UK Herd of the Year. The herd has also achieved record-breaking sales, including Braveheart, which set a new Northern Ireland record price in April.
“A sire that has had the biggest impact on the breed in the last 10 years is Panmure 1 Henry,” the family noted. “Through his numerous sons and now as a grandsire, he will leave a lasting legacy.
"His progeny have set record prices in the UK and Ireland and we have decided to offer the last straws we will have for sale from him as the last lot in the sale.”
Jonny Dymond, a regular auctioneer at Hereford Cattle Society sales, said he was honoured to take the rostrum for the Solpoll event.
“The impact that the Solpoll Herd has made in 70 years of breeding cannot be overstated,” he said. “The Solpoll name can be seen within virtually every single Hereford catalogue produced since Halls became the society auctioneers in 2021.
He said a walk through the herd makes its quality obvious, with cattle that appeal to pedigree and commercial buyers alike for their stature, style and natural fleshing.
He highlighted that the catalogue features the entire spring 2024-born heifer crop, with all but one in-calf to carefully selected bulls to maximise key traits, adding that each looks like a potential champion.
He said the bulls follow the same pattern, mirroring the females for presence and breed character. “A bull is half your herd and what a herd you will have with these.”
Alongside the cattle, he noted the inclusion of frozen lots and embryos, saying the 33 lots reflect a deliberate breeding approach that delivers results for breeders across the UK and beyond.
“At Solpoll nothing has been bred by chance - everything is by design and produces results, not just for the McMordies but for breeders in every corner of the UK and beyond."
