Theme and dates announced for the 2020 British Cattle Breeders Club Conference

‘Focusing on succession to build a sustainable future’ is the theme for the 2020 BCBC Conference, taking place on 20-22 January at the Telford Hotel and Golf resort in Shropshire.

The conference draws speakers and delegates from across the beef and dairy industries. It is renowned as a forum for debate and discussion between farmers, scientists and the industry, and a platform for the introduction of new science and technology.

Opening the conference will be Roddy McLean, Director of Agriculture, NatWest, looking at some of the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector and how we support the next generation.

The national and international speakers will include Dr Jude Capper on communicating the environmental advantages of our industries. Also speaking is Morrisons’ Sophie Throup, giving a consumer and retailer perspective on beef and how they inform the industry.

UK vet and Nuffield Scholar Neil Eastham will be talking about linking genomics to succession in breeding and Professor Roel Veerkamp, from Wageningen University, looks at the developments in multi-breed genomic prediction.

Bart Lardner, Professor at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan, considers the influence of nutrition through pregnancy in heifers and Dr Michelle Judge, from Teagasc, will discuss breeding for superior meat and eating quality. 

Reflecting the conference theme, delivering succession for farming businesses is the topic  accountant Rob Hitch will address. Alongside him, farmers Patrick Morris-Eyton and Neale Sadler offer a first-hand account of their personal business development and succession plans.

The new Chair of the British Cattle Breeders Club, Laurence Loxam, was instrumental in choosing the conference theme and explains why it is so relevant: “As we enter a new decade successful succession and sustainability is key to the future of our industry. We have seen over many years how cattle breeding has greatly benefitted from the dynamic integration of science, new technologies and innovation.  New thinking and a stronger ability to innovate provide what’s needed to increase efficiencies and produce animals responsive to the demands of a changing market place; we have to be more effective. 

“The quality and range of speakers at the 2020 BCBC Conference demonstrates the very latest in innovation and thinking our industry has to offer and I look forward to the lively debate they will spark,” he concludes.

The full conference programme and booking details will be available on the BCBC website (www.cattlebreeders.org.uk) in October 2019.