‘Focusing on succession to build a sustainable future’

For the best part of three days, the 2020 British Cattle Breeders Conference delivered above and beyond what I could have wished for, with a programme packed with a mixture of world class scientists, beef and dairy producers and practical cattle breeding discussion.

As Chairman, I could not be prouder and with this my year of Chairmanship has come to an end. I’d like to thank the BCBC Committee for electing me and for their support; it has been a truly great honour to have been Chairman and to have played a part in the Club’s rich history.

Since its inception over 70 years ago, the BCBC conference has become a unique event, renowned for its mix of practical, high quality speakers and its drive for innovation. With the future of cattle breeding at its heart, the BCBC conference links a wide spectrum of farmers, scientists, students and industry influencers.

The BCBC conference is a fantastic forum to kick off the New Year, challenging ideas, introducing new science and technologies and providing the opportunity to meet people, stimulate thought, debate and discussion. The conference itself is a focal point of the year for the club where we embark on finding answers and solutions to today’s fast moving environment. In a world with a rapidly growing population that increasingly demands of ‘more for less’, how can we ensure that an overriding need for quantity does not detract from the quality of the food we produce?

Succession and sustainability were the two key messages I wanted to address during the 2020 conference and I believe this was achieved, with feedback from attendees, sponsors and speakers of positivity and enjoyment, very much the vibe the British Cattle Breeders Club strives to promote. I personally would like to thank everyone that attended over the course of the two and a half days, thank you for your enthusiasm, participation and support. In conclusion, the club owes a huge debt of gratitude to Heidi Bradbury, our club secretary and also our fantastic sponsors and speakers, without them, there would be no conference, or club!

Some of our challenges transitioning into 2020 are; how do we combat the rise of veganism and the rapidly changing environment, especially in the realms of global warming? We aimed to answer some of these questions during the conference and will continue to strive on finding answers.

The presentations from the 2020 British Cattle Breeders Conference are available to view as ‘Talking Slides’. 

I hope to see you at the 2021 conference and I wish Clive Brown the best of luck.

Laurence Loxam

2020 Conference Chairman