National All Breeds Show to Replace National Holstein Show
2009-11-27

Holstein UK has rebranded its national show and invited all dairy breeds to take part in what will now be called the National All Breeds Show.

The show will be held at the NAC in February, and will be extended to a two-day event to accommodate extra classes.

With strong support from the wide range of dairy breeds now being used in the UK, the show is expected to have wider appeal than before; attract higher visitor numbers; and be an even greater spectacle than its long-established forerunner, the National Holstein Show.

“In today’s dairying society, if people are going to come out to a show, they expect to see the whole breadth of what’s on offer,” said Greg Ward, Holstein UK chief executive. “We’re delighted to have the other dairy breeds on board to give the event a broader perspective, and feel their presence will do much to enhance the occasion.

“There will be national championships for each dairy breed, a supreme interbreed championship, and a strong emphasis throughout the show on health, welfare and productivity. This will be seen in particular in the Total Performance Awards, which will be offered in each of the senior cow classes.

“These awards will recognise production, longevity, calving interval and cell counts, rewarding the animals which are genuinely important to a herd’s bottom line.”
A further emphasis on breeding, feeding and management will help distinguish this ‘cow-oriented’ event from other specialist dairying shows.

Welcoming his breed’s involvement, John Cochrane, breed secretary for the Ayrshire Cattle Society said: “I think a national show is a great idea. Like many of the other breeds, we don’t have our own national show so this will give us a platform on which to demonstrate the attributes of the Ayrshire cow to people representing all the other breeds and from all over the world.

“The loss of the Royal Show was a great blow to the industry, as it was an important shop window for international visitors, but I hope the new ‘National’ will take over this role.”

Emphasising the importance of all dairy breeds to the occasion, Mr Ward concluded: “We want people who come here to be able to improve their herd as a result of their visit, whatever breed of cattle is their particular interest.

“None of the other breeds involved actually has its own national show, so we want this event to be as much for them as it is for the Holstein.”

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