The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Benson insight into British Charolais Cattle Society
A— We are a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. To meet our charitable remit we have to be there for the public benefit. Our public benefit is the registration and genetic evaluation of Charolais cattle in the UK.
Through keeping records we are able to identify the most efficient cattle, the easier calvers, those with fast growth rates and good eye muscle area.
In short, we are a commercial breed aimed at improving beef production in this country.
A— There are about 1,800 producers throughout the UK.
Ireland has its own Charolais society.
Q— When did the breed first make its appearance in the UK?
The first bulls came over from France in 1959.
These were used in trials and then the society was formed in 1962.
Q— I understand that in the UK the breed has a different role in beef production than it does in other countries.
A— We are now producing what we call the ‘Tailor-made Terminal’sire.
In France there are 2.1 million white suckler cows, while in Ireland Charolais are seen as dual-purpose cattle.
In the UK there are a plethora of breeds going for the maternal side of beef production, while we are concentrating on producing bulls for suckler herds.
I hope that the breed has such a diverse population in the UK that buyers can buy a bull to suit their specific needs.
QWhat does the breed society do?
How many members do you have?
— In your work as chief executive of the breed, what have been the high points?
I enjoy the sales. These are the proving points of what the society is doing.
When there is a show and sale the judge has his opinion, and the next day the buyers have their opinions on what they want and they back that up with hard cash.
There is often a fever pitch at sales.
At Stirling last month, and also at the Thainstone sale, the trade was fantastic.
Apart from the Stirling sales in the spring and autumn I like to attend all the breed sales atAberdeen, Carlisle, Dungannon and Welshpool. There is a different atmosphere and clientele at each of them.
Q— I noted that more than £1 million changed hands at the Stirling sale.
Yes: 136 bulls sold through the ring at an average of £6,821.
Another 13 sold out of the ring and, with the Charolais females, there was a gross sales figure of £1,006,000.
Do you remember any specific high points?
A— The Royal show was always the highlight of the year, so it has to be winning the Burke Trophy (for the best pair of cattle representing a breed) which used to be awarded at the show. The Charolais breed won it 19 times; a record.
Q— When did you come Charolais breed society?
A— In 1988 this job came up and I was asked if I was interested, and that was that.
I had graduated from university in 1975 and started work with Billy Turner Ripon, looking after his Charolais herd.
I was looking for a way into farm management, but there was not too much about at that time.
Q— You will have seen a few changes in your time.
When I look back there was a lot more wealth in agriculture and there was more money in cattle breeding.
It is often said that breed secretaries do not have longevity because there is a new chairman to deal with every year.
I have never had a bad chairman. They are all different; all with their own strengths.
We have a good breed council with 16 representatives from all over the country. We have always had a good mix of farmers and some with business interests who bring other skills to the table.
Q— The
Charolais
into
the
society had a reputation at one time of attracting rich businessmen who thought they could buy their way to the top of the pedigree world. Has that changed?
A— We have not seen the influx of business people we saw 10 or 20 years ago.
However, with the current price advantage of Charolais bulls, we are attracting new members into the breed.
Q— How do you see the future of UK beef production?
A— You have to look at the key performance indicators for suckled calf producers to see where profitability lies. It is factors like the percentage of live calves born and the percentage of live calves weaned that provide the profit.
Q— What concerns you about the UK beef industry?
A— It has to be the lack of support for research.
Look at Ireland, who have half the number of cattle we have but they have a government that is sympathetic to and supportive of beef production.
We do not have that and have to paddle our own canoes.
Q— Does this mean the Charolais society might become more involved in commissioning research?
Not on a big scale because it would be very expensive. I just wish the UK Government would.
Any other improvements you would like to see in the UK beef industry?
A— We have a crazy situation with every breed society having their own databases but they are not joined up with each other.
Compare this with the Irish, who have a central database.
We (breed societies) all have our own ivory towers, but we could share some of the costs through sharing our databases.
Q— Your job as chief executive must entail a lot of travelling?
I think I spend about 100 nights every year away from home. Not all on business.
Q— What about the export market for Charolais?
A— We do not have much of an export market just now because of the strong pound.
In the heady 1960s when France could not export because of foot and mouth disease our export market was booming, with cattle making £6,000 to £7,000.
There is not as big a premium as there used to be when there was a scarcity value.
We now have our own type of Charolais in the UK. It has been developed as a functional terminal sire for UK beef production.
Any thoughts on your four decades in the breed?
It has been a tremendous journey. I have met a lot of great people and, apart from the serious day-to-day business, it has always been good to catch up with members and enjoy the social side of shows and sales when the work is done.