A Texel lamb has become the world’s most expensive sheep after being sold for nearly $490,059 at an auction in Scotland.
The sheep called Double Diamond, sold for $490,059 at the Scottish National Texel Sale in Lanark, Scotland.
The bidding started at $14,047 and significantly increased amid fierce competition between different people.
The final bid was made by a partnership of three buyers, setting a world record price for a sheep.
Double Diamond, which was sold by Charlie Boden from Cheshire, is an embryo-bred lamb.
One of the buyers, Jeff Aiken, flock manager at Procters Farm, told Sky News that a lot of breeders had their eye on Double Diamond as he was a “special animal”.
“I knew he was going to be a lot of money but I wasn’t expecting him to make that much,” Aiken said, “He’s just an outstanding animal. He’s a massive lamb with great confirmation and character, some of which is what breeding is all about.”
“But with the pedigree, you start looking at the smaller details of the lamb – you look at his head, the hair color, the color around his eyes, legs, he was just perfect in every way,” he further added.
Originating from the island of Texel in the Netherlands, the sheep breed is popular among British farmers because of their high-quality meat.