Southdowns rule native classes at winter fairs

Southdown lambs have enjoyed unparralled success at this winter’s primestock fairs, taking the live lamb native championships at four events and leading the carcass classes at several too.

Southdown lambs took the top tickets in the both the live and carcass sections for native breed lambs at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, achieving a remarkable treble for the breed.

In the live classes it was a memorable day for the breed when a pair of pure Southdown lambs from the Long family’s Chaileybrook flock, Herefordshire, took the Pure Lowland championship before going on to lift the overall Native Championship of the show, having previously won the breed class on the first day of the show

Praised by championship judge Paul Slater, Macclesfield, for their superb loins and evenness of fleshing, this pair tipped the scales at a combined weight of 87.5kg and are both sired by the homebred Chaileybrook Beaujolais.  

This win completed an unstoppable winter season for the Long family, with the same pair of lambs having previously taken the native championships at both Agri-Fest South West and the English Winter Fair prior to their arrival at Builth Wells on the family’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair debut.

Across in the carcass hall it was a pair of pure Southdowns from Dylan Williams, Lampeter, which won the pairs class, with both of these grading U3L, while in the singles class it was a lamb from Hywel Williams, Llangadog, with this one also grading U3L.

At the English Winter Fair the Long family, Herefordshire, won the show’s class for pure Southdown lambs before going on to tapped out as Native Champions under judge Matt Prince.

In the event’s carcass class Robert Cox, Leicestershire, won the native sired lamb class, with a lamb from the Long family in second spot here. 

The South East Primestock Show saw Messrs Wakeham-Dawson and Harmer win the live lamb Native Championship, with this pair of lambs later being the reserve overall champions of the show.

The carcass classes saw a lamb from the same home take the native championship too.