A lamb from Cheshire has reportedly become the world’s most expensive sheep after it sold for £367,500 at auction.
Double Diamond, a pedigree Texel ram, was sold at the Scottish National Texel Sale in Lanark, Scotland on Thursday.
The opening bid of £10,500 quickly shot up, before the “exceptional animal” was bought by a coalition of three farmers.
Celebrating his prize, one of the buyers, Jeff Aiken said: “He is the best lamb I have ever seen – so correct on his legs, bright, with a great top. He’s got it all.”
Explaining the staggering sum, Mr Aiken said: “The Texel for a start is the best breed in the UK and the pedigree side of it is getting bigger.
“If you want the best you have to try and buy the best.
“It’s an exceptional animal and the best Texel sheep I’ve ever seen. Hopefully he’ll do a good job on all three flocks.”
Mr Aiken, flock manager at Procters Farm, stressed the price is a “one-off” and said he did not want it to give the wrong impression of the farming industry.
“There’s a small percentage of pedigree buyers that can club together and pay big money,” he said.
“But at the end of the day the commercial farmers are just as important if not more important – they are putting food on our tables.
“I’m in the fortunate position that I can spend that sort of money.”
The lamb was sold by Charlie Boden and family from their Sportsmans flock in Stockport, Cheshire.
The Texel Sheep Society said the previous price record-breaker was a Texel called Deveronvale Perfection, who sold for £231,000 in 2009.
The society said that Texel sheep originate from the island of Texel, one of the north-western islands off Holland and now dominate the UK sheep industry.
