Posh Spice has become Britain’s most expensive cow after being sold for a whopping £262,000 (more than S$475,000), doubling the previous record. Named after Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls, who was also known as Posh Spice, the one-year-old cow cost more than the average house in Britain. Posh Spice, the cow, full name Wilodge Poshspice, costs no less than a Lamborghini Aventador or Ferrari 812.
Posh Spice, which belongs to the Limousin breed of cows, is believed to be the most expensive cow not just in Britain but all of Europe. The £262,000 she fetched is said to be the highest amount paid for any cow in Europe, reported the Daily Mail UK on Feb 3.
Posh Spice was born in November 2019 and belonged to Christine Williams and Paul Tippets of Lodge Hill Farm, in Shifnal, Shropshire. She was set for stardom as the daughter of Ginger Spice, a three-time contest winner at farming’s famous Balmoral Show.
Posh Spice is known to be “stylish and shapely” and had caught the attention of many bidders who attended the auction in Carlisle, Cumbria, for her “genetic qualities”. Her larger loin depth, reduced-fat cover and greater meat tenderness made her more sought after. On Jan 29, the cow was snapped up by two cattle breeders at the sale held by Borderway Mart Auctioneers.
Messrs Jenkinson, of Penrith, Cumbria, and Boden and Davies, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, will now share the maiden heifer.
Posh Spice’s previous owner Williams, 57, a full-time pedigree livestock farmer, said that it was a totally mind-blowing and surreal moment when they saw how much she had sold for. They never ever expected Posh Spice to make that much in their wildest dreams.
Other people called them afterwards and they were overwhelmed by all the messages and cards and texts they had received congratulating them.
They did know the people who brought her but hadn’t spoken to them before it happened, added Williams. She said that with pedigree cattle, you can always try to name the females and link them to the dam line. Posh Spice was so named because her mother, Ginger Spice, was also named after a Spice Girl. Posh was a good calf, not moody, and born with a lot of potential, said Williams.
Williams has been farming ever since she left school at the age of 16 and said it was a nice occupation in these uncertain times. She said it gave a lot of people some positivity.
New and established breeders from around the UK attended the auction and there was an entire crop of maiden heifers that had been used for pedigree breeding put up for sale. It also saw other heifers – a cow which has not had any calves – selling for thousands of pounds.
The British Limousin Cattle Society expressed delight with the auction. The sale was truly a success, said secretary Will Ketley.