Sheep Judge – Richard Henderson

RICHARD HENDERSON, Woodhead Bros, Turriff, Aberdeenshire

Richard Henderson is a livestock procurement buyer for Woodhead Bros and is based at Turriff, Aberdeenshire.

In his spare time Richard looks after his small Suffolk flock under the Binhill Farm prefix .  He is a member of the North East Suffolk Sheep Club and supports the organisation by competing at shows and the flock competition.

He has judged prime sheep at many shows across the North of England and Scotland, and last year had the honour of judging the carcase classes at the Scottish Winter Fair.

He says:  “It is an honour to be invited to judge the main sheep classes at this years Borderway Agri Expo.  We are all in food production and know how important it is to have a well-muscled and well-fleshed animal. What I will be looking for is a carcass that looks good, handles well, with a bit of fat cover, as it will eat well.”

“Supermarkets need a range of lamb on the shelves as their customers want a choice. Some prefer their lamb lean, some prefer it with that bit of fat. Some like a small joint and some a larger joint. As an industry we need to supply them with this choice. We must not breed our animals too uniform. “

Richard will have 19 classes presented to him for judging along with 4 Champions classes.  The various breeds include continental, hill and downland types.