It is a great honour and delight to have been elected Chair of the British Cattle Breeders Club for 2021 and my, what a difficult act I must follow. The past twelve months have brought about a great many challenges for everyone. I don’t think that any of us could have ever envisaged the devastating impact that a global pandemic could have had on many industries, livelihoods and families, not just at home, but on a global scale.

However, out of that difficult year, Clive Brown and his team of willing volunteers navigated and delivered an outstanding first for the Club – our first ever Virtual Conference. It was a resounding success, and my sincere congratulations go to Clive, Heidi, and all of the Committee on an incredible achievement. The bar has been set very high, the challenge is on for this year’s Committee to attempt to deliver a British Cattle Breeders Conference that will be a ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ to all after a difficult and unforgettable time in our lives. We welcome new Committee Members to the team, John Roskell, James Shouler, Andrew Wilson, and Richard Williams and really look forward to working with you.

BCBC is a unique ‘family’ of farmers, researchers, industry, and students – all dedicated to the advancement of breeding and genetics in dairy and beef cattle. We pride ourselves on an unrivalled camaraderie that welcomes all and encourages lively debate and discussion in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

I strongly believe that this is a great time to be in our industry and we have so many opportunities yet to explore. Continuing to move with the times and remain relevant to the huge diversity of our members remains at the forefront of what we as a Club strive to do. As we bring the 2022 Programme together, we will be looking to find speakers who can deliver the latest developments in research, technology, and best farming practices in an inspiring and engaging way.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in cattle breeding and genetics to join us – membership is extremely good value, and you get to make friends for life! I look forward to guiding the British Cattle Breeders Club through whatever 2021 has in store for us and very much hope to meet with you in person in January 2022!

Karen Wonnacott