S O C I E TY
Breed Development Committee, report from committee chair Shona Calder
T
his committee is made up of five directors. The committee’s remit as the title suggests, is to look at anything that can be of benefit to the breed. Meeting four times a year, topics discussed include those detailed below and where appropriate the committee provides feedback and recommendations. Health schemes and testing Recently as members may be aware CHECS wanted to change the rules on Johnnes testing. This would have led to members in TB1 areas being disadvantaged when trying to achieve Level One status. Disease issues At the moment the concern is Neospora and the impact on the breeding herd. To that end the committee has helped provide articles to help members understand the disease and how to manage it and hopefully eradicate it. Performance recording EBVs are a tool to help with selection of profitable cattle, the generation of EBVs requires accurate data and lots of it. The breed needs more members to record as ultimately it is for members’ benefit.
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B eef Shorthorn C attl e S oc i ety J o ur n al 2 0 2 3
The committee looks at whether certain traits are more important to the breed and how to help members get the most out of Breedplan. Breed Classification Some herds will already be classifying and, going forward, these scores will be able to be incorporated with the EBV for that animal, thus helping to give a better picture of that animal. For those of herds not classifying it is a very worthwhile practise. Classifiers are very adept at explaining their scores and it helps you to see the animal in detail rather than just `a cow’. In turn when you see the score for your herd it will show where you need to make improvements. DEFRA rules for import and export of cattle semen and embryos. The committee has also pushed ahead with webinars for pelvic measuring and fitness scoring of cows and breeding condition. These are just some of the areas the committee has worked on to help promote the health and productivity of Beef Shorthorn cattle.
