Looking back on 2012 it will be remembered as the first year in history that two bulls sold at six figure sums, first, in February, there was 120,000gns Limousin Dolcorsllwyn Fabio and then, in October, there was 100,000gns Charolais Vexour Garth.

Sheep trade saw some notable highlights too, with a pair of Blackface tup lambs from Dachirla grossing 150,000gns, a believed world record for a naturally conceived pair of lambs from the same dam. One of them also matched the breed record price of 90,000gns.

It’s certainly been a year of talking points, so here’s a round up of all the action as seen through the Farming Eye lens.

The award, which is named after one of the original founders of the breed, has been commissioned to recognise and reward individuals who have significantly helped improve the Aberdeen-Angus breed throughout the years.

John Moores CBE received his award from Aberdeen-Angus Society president Angus Stovold

John, a past president of the society, founded his The Moss herd of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus in 1964 with wife Jane, which is now under the careful management of son Kevin.

He was among the first breeders to import cattle from Canada and one of the first to bring in bulls and embryos from the States. Cattle carrying The Moss prefix have since been sold as foundation stock across Europe to the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, and the Azores.

One of his landmark achievements in the breed, John is responsible for breeding The Moss Mr Eshton D409, sold in Perth for 36,000gns in 2006 – the fourth highest price for an Aberdeen-Angus bull sold at auction in the UK.

Following the presentation at a private ceremony at Formby Hall Golf Hotel on February 29, Ron McHattie, chief executive of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, said: “John’s commitment to the breed has helped it grow to what it is today. There are few people like John who have put so much in – he’s an innovator who saw a vision others didn’t.”

John was presented with the award by Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society president Angus Stovold.

Leading the way was Scottish shearer Gavin Mutch, originally of Huntly, Aberdeenshire, and now based in New Zealand. Gavin showed the Kiwis and the rest of the world how it should be done by taking the championship in the individual competition, beating New Zealand’s Cam Ferguson in to second place.

Other home nations shearers performing well in the individual competition were Gareth Daniel of Wales who took fifth spot and England’s Adam Berry who finished one place behind in sixth.

In the individual Blade shearing final Wales’ Gareth Owen took fifth spot, with Scotland’s William Craig in sixth and in the Blade team competition the Gareth Owen teamed up with Elfed Jackson to steer Wales to third place, with Mark Armstrong joining with William Craig to get a fourth place for the Scotland duo. The English pairing of Andrew Wear and George Mudge finished in sixth, no mean feat bearing in mind George is now 65 years young!

Best placed of the home nations teams in the machine shearing final was the Scottish team of Gavin Mutch and Hamish Mitchell in second place, with the Welsh duo of Richard Jones and Gareth Daniel close behind in third. The team competition was won by New Zealand’s Cam Ferguson and John Kirkpatrick.

The rams, sourced from flocks in the North East of England formed the centrepiece of the livestock display on the EBLEX stand at the event, helping draw French farmers and consumers to the stand to learn more about the high quality breeding stock and lamb available from England.

One of the Glenway tups that were on the stand at Paris Show

All four rams were selected by French breeders for use in French Texel flocks following a number of visits to the UK in the last 12 months by delegations of French breeders.

The rams were purchased by leading French breeding company Genetique Ovine De France Sarl and will be used in a number of Texel flocks in northern France. Theyhave been sourced from the Glenway flock of Ian Murray, Northumberland and the Alwent and Deneside flocks of the Nesbitt family, Co Durham. Mr Murray said he was delighted to have secured further export business having previously exported Texels to Switzerland.

The Glenway tups are both high indexed sheep, with one being a top 5% son of £8000 sire Teiglum Nightlight and the other being by 30,000gns Castleknowe Matchmaker and out of a Lumbylaw-bred dam.

Meanwhile Mr Nisbett said the export demonstrated the exceptional quality of the Texels now found in the UK. “The two rams we’re sending are from some of our best lines and also carry good performance figures.”

Both rams are by 18,000gns sire Allanfauld Rockafella, a tup bought in partnership at the Lanark sale in 2010. “One has an index of 354 and is out of an Alwent Neutron daughter, while the other goes back to Mellorvale Masterpiece. They were picked by the French for both their performance and their breed character.”

Additionally, the breeders have selected a number of stock rams to collect semen from for export to France later in the year ahead of the 2012 breeding season. Sires selected include Ettrick Rainbow Warrior owned jointly by Messrs Wilkinson and Nisbett, Teiglum Rembrandt owned by the Clark family, Ettrick Sir Alan owned by Gordon Gray, Knock Papoose owned by Maurice Hardy-Bishop, Milnbank Sargeant Pepper owned by Keith Jamieson and Cambwell Laird owned by Robert Laird.

Commenting on the semen export former British Texel Sheep Society president Mr Gray said it was a real ‘coals to Newcastle’ moment for the Texel breed. “To be exporting Texel genetics back to France nearly 40 years after the first Texels came to Britain is a mark of the breed’s success in Britain.

“The French breeders were blown away by the quality of the British Texels they saw when they visited last year and particularly by the quality of their conformation, skins and character. Their enthusiasm for our Texels was fantastic to see.”

The Society has also supported the EBLEX exhibition by sourcing two young shepherds, Tom and Kirree Kermode from the Isle of Man, to assist the EBLEX team at the seven day long exhibition in the centre of Paris care for the stock on site and meet with multinational attendees, explained British Texel Sheep Society chief executive John Yates.

“The quality of British Texel genetics is quickly becoming widely recognised across Europe and demand is increasing as more European sheep producers recognise the exceptional growth and carcass traits offered by the breed.”

Team members who took the gold were: Joe Welsh, Warnock Farm, Fenwick; Norman Cook, Kineallmill Farm, Linlithgow; Duncan Lyon, Arthurshiels, Quothquan, Biggar; Rhys Anderson, Burnton Farm, Laurencekirk; Tom Nelson, High Kilbryde Farm, Stewarton; Kevin Campbell, Glenhead Farm, Glendevon; Alan Brodie, Gartness Farm, Airdrie; Robin Shankland, Lanemark Farm, New Cumnock and Greame Hendry, Stow Mains, Stow, Galasheils.

The winning team

Well done lads, great achievement! More pictures of the event can be found at MacGregor Photography.