Royal Show's first live-dead champion sells for £2500 at auction

The champion heifer in the Royal Show's first Live-Dead competition for commercial beef cattle sponsored by ABP and Sainsbury's sold for £2500 at auction (July 2) after being in a carcase display of the top six prize winners at the Show.

The Belgian Blue cross heifer named Jordon graded E3 and weighing over 409 kg deadweight, was bred and shown by Mr Frank Page, Lodge Farm, Yelvertoft Road, Elkington, Northants, winning both the live and carcase competitions.

The buyer was ABP for its retail customer Sainsbury's. The judges

described her as outstanding with "tremendous depth of muscle and length, ideal for the processor and the multiple retailer."

Royal Agricultural Society of England livestock specialist Debbie Dann said: "A new class at this year's Royal Show, the live-dead commercial beef championship has achieved everything we hoped it would. "This class has helped highlight that pedigree stock shown at the Royal Show have a direct influence on the commercial beef industry. "It successfully showcased how commercial beef producers put superior genetics to good use to produce top quality finished stock, and highlighting the importance of accurate selection of animals for slaughter." The reserve champion Limousin cross steer named Edward from B & C Allsop, Harby, Melton Mowbray which weighed 396 kg deadweight and graded E4L sold for £950 to ABP for Sainsbury's.