THE Princess Royal is to attend the Stirling Bull Sales in February to mark the 150th anniversary of the prestigious event, United Auctions has confirmed.
Princess Anne is attending the first day of the first week of the event in her capacity as patron of the Beef Shorthorn Breed Society.
This will be the first time a member of the Royal Family has visited the Bull Sales at the Stirling Agricultural Centre.
She will view the show of Beef Shorthorn cattle and meet breed officials and Shorthorn enthusiasts.
The world-famous event, now known as the Stirling Bull Sales, started in 1865 at the Perth Market in Mill Street and comprised 14 Beef Shorthorns selling to a top of 39gns, and averaging around 14gns.
For February, some 100 Shorthorn bulls and 35 females are catalogued, demonstrating that the breed continues to have an important role in commercial beef production.
David Leggat, executive chairman at UA, said: “It will be an honour to welcome Princess Anne to Stirling to mark 150 years of the bull sales, and we’re absolutely delighted that we can celebrate this special occasion with our staff and customers.”
The first sale was held in 1865 under the auspices of auctioneering firm Macdonald & McCallum.
JM Fraser became a partner in 1871, and Macdonald Fraser was formed.
He was widely recognised as the pioneer of the sales and did much to develop them into an international event.
In the early sales the numbers forward were small.
It wasn’t until 1872 when the numbers had increased significantly, and included Aberdeen-Angus that the event warranted a separate sale day from the normal Friday market.
On a Wednesday in mid-March, 75 shorthorns sold for a total of £1,964.
In 1875 the company moved to larger premises at Caledonian Road.
A sale on March 12 1879 attracted the largest number of buyers including, for the first time, several from overseas.
In the following years buyers from Canada, the US, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa all attended the sales.
By 1892 the two breeds had separate sale dates, with 286 Angus sold on February 24 while 242 Shorthorns were sold on March 2.
The bull sales became multi-breed affairs in the late ’60s and early ’70s with the rise of Continental breeds of cattle.
The event moved from Perth’s Caledonian Road to the Perth Agricultural Centre in 1990, and in 2009 it moved to the Stirling Agricultural Centre, where it remains one of the major events in the UK’s beef cattle calendar.
At the February Bull Sales no less than 1,150 pedigree bulls and females will be on show and sale.
The event will be held from February 2 and 3 and will continue on February 16 and 17 at the Stirling Agricultural Centre.
The sales are sponsored by Bank of Scotland.