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A 29-month-old Simmental bull from Carmarthenshire breeders Meirion and Linda Jones, Pantyrefail has won the Bronze award in the Champion of Europe competition.
The competition within the ‘Simmental Champion of the World’ organised online by Texas Simmental Breeder PJ Budler saw the Welsh-owned Simmental bull Bannhill Farm Lord 20 awarded the Bronze award. Bred by Alan Wilson, Rathfriland, Co Down, Lord is by the 14,000gns Saltire Impressive 17, who has also sired champion commercial calves in Ireland to 6,100 euros last November.
Bannhill Farm Lord was purchased by the Jones Family at Sterling in 2021 as a stock bull for their renowned Dyfed herd at Llanfynydd and daughter Anwen’s Cefngwlad herd.
He had been running out with the cows up until a week before the 2022 Royal Welsh show where he won the male championship. It was this win that qualified him for European competition competing against champions from, Scotland, Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, and countries across Europe including the Simmental homelands in the Alpine regions.
Judges for the competition were a panel of four from across the world and consisted of Juan Pablo Lattanti Murguía (Argentina), Tom Baker (Australia), Jim Goldie (Scotland) Cary Crow (USA), with the Argentinian giving the bull from Wales maximum points.
Lord was one of three first prize winners for the Dyfed Simmental herd at this year’s Royal Welsh Show and in their 40 years breeding Simmentals they have been no strangers to the successes of the showrings across the country.
Meirion said: “We are delighted that Lords qualities have been recognised by judges from across the world. Finding a stock bull isn’t easy, he was one of our picks at the Sterling sale, oozing character, great length, fleshing in all the right places, and moved well. He was earning his keep out with some of our best cows before going to the Royal Welsh, so he really is a working bull when qualified. Those cows have since been classified by the society, all excellent and very good, so we are looking forward to what they produce together”.
British breeding was very much in the forefront of the European competition, crowned champion of Europe was Scotland’s Drumsleed Legacy 20 bred and exhibited by Gerald and Morag Smith, Drumsleed. Legacy is a son of 11,000gns Wolfstar Gordy and qualified as the Royal Highland champion with the Swiss entry taking the Silver award.
In the female competition, the Welsh were represented by the Royal Welsh Female Champion, Llanedi based Croft Livestock with Gwili Melody (P) bred by Martin Beynon. The Female Gold winner was the Irish champion Clonagh Majestic Trixie.
