A new 15-minute breed promotional DVD – with an introduction from the Prince of Wales – was launched at the annual general meeting of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society at Perth.

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The DVD drives home the commercial advantages of the Aberdeen-Angus breed and highlights the soaring demand for quality Aberdeen-Angus beef and the easy management advantages which the breed offers beef farmers.

“It is a matter of enormous pride to me to see one of the country’s native breeds flourishing and competing strongly against Continental cattle,” the Prince of Wales says in his introductory comments.

Prince Charles breeds Aberdeen-Angus cattle on his Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire and is the Society’s Patron, following in the footsteps of the late Queen Mother who held the position for 67 years and took a keen interest in her Castle of Mey herd in Caithness.

The DVD opens with an impressive shot of an Aberdeen-Angus bull emerging from a thin mist of dry ice which was created on a Hollywood-style set on the farm of David Ismail at Fordel Estate, Perth.

Filming took place at the Perth bull sales, Royal Highland and Royal Ulster shows, meat plants, butcher’s shops and restaurants, as well as various pedigree and commercial beef farms, including Highgrove.

Leading figures lauding the qualities of the Aberdeen-Angus breed in the DVD include Sir Stuart Rose, chief executive of Marks and Spencer, Andy Boulton, senior meat buyer with Waitrose, David Gunner, managing director of meat processors, Dovecote Park Ltd, in Yorkshire, Richard Moore, managing director of Linden Foods in Northern Ireland and David Kisilevsky, senior director North-west Europe with Burger King.

The Society’s annual meeting heard that the Aberdeen-Angus breed is continuing to expand throughout the UK on the back of rising consumer demand for Aberdeen-Angus beef and spiralling cost of animal feed which is favouring economical breeds like the Aberdeen-Angus.

Registrations of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus calves in the UK and Ireland are now at an all-time high with 4757 bull calves and 7482 heifer calves registered in the latest edition of the Herd Book and the breed now accounting for 14% of all cattle passports issued by the British Cattle Movement Service.

Retiring president, Colin Davidson, Skaill, Sandwick, Orkney, told the meeting he remained confident about the future prospects for the Aberdeen-Angus breed despite the problems of foot and mouth disease and blue tongue disease which hit the UK livestock industry last year.

“When I came into office last February, the prospects for the Aberdeen-Angus breed looked particularly good,” Mr Davidson recalled. “Both beef and livestock sales were making steady progress. Exports had got off to a great start and the breed was in pole position to gain market share. Despite what has happened over the past year, I believe these opportunities are still ahead.”

New president of the Society is John Coultrip, owner of the old-established Wingfield herd at Eastling, Faversham, Kent. Only last month, Mr Coultrip completed a two-year stint as chairman of the Royal Smithfield Club.

He has been succeeded as senior vice-president by WilliamMcLaren, Jun, Netherton, Blackford, Perthshire, following in the footsteps of his father, Willie, who has served as president of the Society twice, while Paul Jeenes, Grandon Manor Farm, Frome, Somerset, has been elected junior vice-president.

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