Message from the Chair - 'Green Genes – Revolutionising cattle breeding for a sustainable future’

The Mission Statement of the British Cattle Breeders Club is simply to “Improve the breeding of livestock by promoting knowledge”. Year after year BCBC delivers on its mission. Guided by a different chair every year, each choosing a theme that fits their passion. The conference in any given year is in many ways a reflection of those aspects of the industry that most motivate that chairperson. So, it was with Amy Hughes’ brilliant ‘Challenging Traditions’ conference in 2023 or Dr Karen Wonnacott’s eponymous ‘A breath of fresh air’ in 2022.

The 2024 conference was titled ‘Green Genes’ reflecting my passion to farm in an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable manner. In no way do I accept that cattle farming is the sole or even majority cause of biodiversity loss and climate change but I do believe we can do better and we must do better to be profitable across all three pillars.

It is customary for BCBC to have a Dairy day and a Beef day addressing topics specific to the sectors. This year in a slight departure from the norm we also held ‘Bovine Sessions’ at the end of the first and beginning of the second day straddling the banquet. These proved to be some of the most popular sessions of the conference featuring among others Sir John Hammond award winner Prof Sharon Huws, BSAS president Prof Elizabeth Magowan and the outstanding Prof Alice Stanton. It is my hope that these may continue in future years as there will always be topics that effect both sectors equally and where we can learn both with and from one another.

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to raise a conference from the embryo of an idea to the finished article. BCBC’24 exceeded my aspirations on so many levels; industry engagement, speaker quality, clarity of message, press coverage and attendance were all outstanding. For that I must thank my ‘Village People’, the hard-working members of the committee, our amazing secretary Heidi Bradbury who does all of the heavy lifting and finally all those who helped along the way whether it be with sponsorship, encouragement or helpful suggestions to make BCBC’24 the best it could be.

It has been an enormous honour, a great deal of fun and no small amount of work chairing the British Cattle Breeders Club for the last year. My successors Andy King as chair and Dr Alex Brown as vice are all ready well under way with planning for BCBC’25. I can’t wait to see where their journey will lead.

Ben Harman