Membership of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, and registrations of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cattle, reached an all-time high last year, according to the Society’s annual report for the year ended October 31, 2006.

Total membership of the Society stands at 2319, following the enrolment of 222 new members during the year, and Volume 130 of the Herd Book, published in the summer, contained the registrations of 4350 bulls and 7147 heifers born during 2005.

The continued expansion of the breed is attributed to the strong consumer demand for Aberdeen-Angus beef and the Society says firm action will be taken against traders found to be abusing the Aberdeen-Angus brand.

“We remain indebted to those wholesalers and retailers who support the Aberdeen-Angus brand, either through the Society’s Certified Aberdeen-Angus Beef programme or their own branded programmes,” the report states.

“The Society continues to take an aggressive stand with those who infringe consumer rights in relation to the Aberdeen-Angus brand and has worked closely with trading standards’ officers in the prosecution of such offenders.”

The report adds that 2006 has seen a strengthening of dialogue with all sectors in the supply chain which “bodes well for the future development of the Aberdeen-Angus brand”.

Increased beef consumption, a tightening of supplies and a steady improvement in prices had contributed to the mood of growing optimism in the agricultural sector.

The removal of the export ban in May saw increasing demand for both Aberdeen-Angus beef and live cattle from across Europe. More than 300 Aberdeen-Angus cattle have been exported to Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland and Romania in recent months.

“It was reassuring to note that buyers had done their research before entering the market and our website traffic indicated pedigrees, performance and health issues were essential components of the importer’s shopping list,” the report states.

The Society finished the year in a strong financial position with a surplus of £102,729, including a £25,620 gain on the realisation of investments, increasing total funds to £1,131, 985.

The Society’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Pedigree Cattle Services Ltd, which delivers a range of services associated with performance recording to both Society members and three other breed societies, increased its financial contribution to the Society to £44,000, compared with £27,000 in 2005.

The annual general meeting of the Society will be held at Perth on Sunday, February 4.

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