Holy cow! Heifer makes £260k

Bred at Lodge Hill Farm in Shifnal, the Limousin called Wilodge Posh Spice sold at an auctioneers in Carlisle for £262,000.

The British Limousin Cattle Society said the heifer doubled the previous breed best of £131,250 paid out in 2014.

Part of the Wilodge herd belonging to Christine Williams and Paul Tippets, Posh Spice was set for stardom as the daughter of Ginger Spice, a supreme champion at the Balmoral show which won the contest three times in a row.

According to the British Limousin Cattle Society, the "stylish and shapely" bovine was said to have caught the attention of many bidders for her "genetic qualities".

The cow was snapped up by two cattle breeders at the sale last Friday.

Christine, 57, a pedigree livestock farmer, said she couldn't believe her ears upon hearing the record-breaking price tag.

"Never in our wildest dreams did we anticipate this at all," she said.

"I think it must simply be down to the outstanding quality of her, she is truly exceptional and just has that X-factor.

"The selling was fast and furious and it was just surreal – it was mind blowing.

"I equate it to watching the lottery on television and looking at the numbers, not believing they're all adding up to be yours.

Delighted

"We managed to take a video of it and I'm relieved we did as it's hard to recall the moment unfold."

Posh Spice's embryos can now be sold for several thousands of pounds each to dozens of other breeders.

The Wilodge herd was established at the farm in Shifnal by Christine and her late father, Don Williams, in 1989.

"Posh Spice is the result of 30 years of breeding, but the direct result of two embryos which we were kindly able to purchase from a fellow breeder and dear friend, William Smith," Christine added.

"She came from an exceptional dam called Ginger Spice, who a lot of people that breed various breeds of cattle rate highly.

"I judged Ginger Spice at her first show debut, the Balmoral, in 2012 and put her as overall champion as a baby heifer. She went on to win the interbreed competition that day, winning the whole show for the next two consecutive years."

Will Ketley, breed secretary at the British Limousin Cattle Society, said: "The society is delighted to offer its congratulations to the team at Wilodge for this incredible iconic achievement that marks a wealth of breeding over the decades.”

Traditionally it has always been the bulls that sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds at cattle auctions, with their female counterparts rarely gaining too much attention.

But breakthroughs in IVF methods of breeding mean heifers are no longer shunned by breeders, who are willing to pay big sums of money for the asset which can now potentially have hundreds of offspring rather than just a handful of naturally born calves.