Society news

Allman re-elected

After picking up the role of chairman mid-council term in 2019, Philip Allman was re-elected as chairman of council in 2021.

Philip Allman was re-elected as chairman of council of the Hereford Cattle Society for the ensuing three years, following the 2021 February council meeting.

Having picked up the reins in the middle of the last council term, Phil became chairman in March 2019, after acting as vice-chairman from February 2018.

Phil is now in his eighth year as a Philip Allman council member, having represented both Scotland and the West Midlands. With a long history in the breed, he is a face known to many, having won the Royal Show breed championship in 2006 and again in 2008 with Greenyards 1 Archie. He is also a regular judge at some of the UK premier shows. Now running his new Geneyards herd based in Herefordshire, Phil says he is pleased by the show of confidence from his fellow council members and looks forward to continuing to push the society forward. On being elected, he said “I am looking forward to the next council term and building on the great work already achieved by council and staff, particularly now with the addition of our director of operations. We have a breed with a great future.”

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Fletcher elected as society president

Carolyn Fletcher of Barwise Herefords, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria has been elected as president of the Hereford Cattle Society at the society’s November council meeting. A member since 2002, Carolyn is famed for her quality of cattle, having won the UK sire of the year trophy on two separate occasions. Due to the pandemic, she has just completed her second year as society vice-president. She said: “I look forward to taking on my role as president and becoming integral to the running of the society.” David Smyth of Magheraknock Herefords, Ballynahinch, Co Down was elected as vice-president. Mark Roberts hands the president’s badge to Carolyn Fletcher

Mark’s presidency draws to a close

by Mark Roberts

Like an old and rather battered Land Rover I’ve now been round the clock twice. Two rather eventful years as breed president and now I’m delighted to see Carolyn Fletcher taking over and certainly enjoying the role for 2022. I am convinced we are heading for better times, both in regards to the virus that has so beset us, and as a breed with its qualities of producing great tasting beef in a sustainable and publicly appealing way. So even when the world wants fewer cows - the ones that people love to see and that thrive should be Herefords.

I certainly have a bit of sadness within me about how my time has gone. There have been ups and downs but it is the ups that I will remember most. The optimism I felt at the outset, showing a half decent bull at the February sale in Shrewsbury, the beginning of a good relationship between Jonny Dymond and the Hereford Cattle Society and the anticipation of a trip to New Zealand in a world untroubled by travel restrictions. The World Hereford Conference was an experience that I will definitely treasure and I do hope to travel to other places with Herefords to admire in the future.

The selection process when we chose Paul Sneyd to take on our director of operations role was a better experience than some of you might guess. We had a good team spirit and enjoyed looking forward to everything that the future might hold for the Hereford breed. Paul’s enthusiasm and forward thinking is now evident to us all and, again, that gives me hope for the future.

The selection group included the chairman Phil Allman, the ex-president Jonathan Moorhouse, Carolyn Fletcher, Philip Vincent and Mike Harris. All of them worked very hard and conscientiously for the good of all members during the last two years and I have been proud to work alongside them.

Finally the support, friendship and encouragement of so many has been brilliant. Maddy and I would love to have travelled more in promotion of the breed but that was not to be. We look forward to seeing lots more of the great family of Hereford breeders at shows and events during 2022.

Roberts rooted in the British Polled

Mark Roberts continued as society president in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which also marked the 100th year of his family’s involvement with the Hereford breed, in which the British Polled strain has played an important role.

Mark Roberts completed his second year as society president in 2021, which also marked the 100th anniversary of pedigree Herefords at Bromley Court, Hoarwithy, Herefordshire where Mark and wife Maddy still reside. Mark and Maddy run Bromley Herefords at their family home, however Mark’s father Gordon operated his herd under the Garstock prefix, and was well known for his association with the British Polled strain, being president of the British Polled Society for 20 years and taking one of the strain’s greatest show wins with Garstock 3 Harp F69, female champion at the 1978 Royal Welsh Show. A herd of 80 British Polled Herefords welcomed Mark home from Nottingham University in 1981, which was a strain popular in the fifties, sixties and seventies. However, the 1980s saw the strain fall out of favour somewhat. The British Polled is still in existence today and is denominated by a 3 between the prefix and animal name, and due to its lack of recognition by the World Hereford Council, has remained unique to the UK. The story behind the strain began in 1949 when a number of Hereford breeders met in the Green Dragon Hotel in Hereford on a November afternoon and formed the British Polled Hereford Society. The objective of these breeders was to breed hornless Herefords which were comparable to the best horned Herefords of the day but polled. This followed suggestions from Australian cattle people that the UK should develop polled Herefords based on the stamp of the British Hereford type, as opposed to the poll Herefords which were beginning to find their way to the UK from elsewhere in the world.

The British Polled Hereford Society was formed by the breeders which met that afternoon and opted for the title polled in preference to poll because they themselves were polling the breed. These breeders were not a marginal group but some of the times’ leading breeders who saw a need for future-proofing. Among the pioneers of this society were Janet Calvert of Wetmore, Shropshire; Margaret Dunne of Chadshunt, Warwickshire; Cecil Evans of Wroxall, Warwickshire; DL McCarthy of Tyrrels Court, Hereford; the Walker family of Knightwick fame, Worcestershire; Lady Marion Philipps of Picton and TE Gwillim of Ffostill, Talgarth. In order to create this hornless Hereford, a poll animal was required and so it was decided to purchase the best possible Galloway bull at the spring sale of 1950 at Castle Douglas, Ambassador of

Garstock 3 Harp F69

Class winners at the October 1974 Edinburgh sale from the Hyde, Tyrbryn and Jervaul herds

Knockdarling, was the purchased bull and was mated with a few females from each of the members’ herds.

Ambassador of Knocknarling was bred by James Black of New Galloway and was chosen from the catalogued entry of 164 pedigree Galloway bulls on offer at Castle Douglas in February 1950. He was a first prize winner in the pre-sale show and third top price on the day being secured at 320gns, just one week after his first birthday. The two lots to go through the ring before him sold at 34gns and 70gns. The inclusion of the Galloway in the founding days brought the set of the hind leg, the strength of spine and the style evident around the head and particularly the ears. The Galloway was chosen because it was confidently considered to be able to introduce to the Hereford the poll factor and that the conformation and form of this Scottish-based breed would best suit the appearance of the type of Hereford required. Mark comments: “The Galloway influence on the cattle made them more suited to Welsh and Scottish hill farms, bringing increased hardiness along with better coats for harsh conditions. The shape of the head was also different to that of the imported poll.” There were 22 calves registered in the first generation, all polled, out of which one bull, Wetmore 3 Ambassador, was selected and mated with a number of pedigree Hereford females. At the same time, a number of first generation females were mated with pedigree Hereford bulls. This process of mating back to pedigree Herefords was continued rigidly throughout the first three generations, when no horned offspring were registered. The first calf produced was a heifer born on 12 January 1951, named Wroxall 3 Louisa. Only one bull calf was selected from that first phase for further use, Wetmore 3 Ambassador, born 19 April 1951 and it was these two animals that had the greatest influence on the advancement of the strain.

For the first six years of the breeding programme, membership was strictly limited because of the high wastage in the first three generations, when no horned cattle were registered and in the second and third generations no mis-coloured cattle were registered. Members also culled hard for conformation to a high standard, the presence of horns and black and general colour markings not being of the required stamp. With the advent of the fourth generations, the council of the strain’s society allowed registration of horned British Polled heifer calves for the first time and allowed poll-bred cattle to be inter-bred, though the majority were still mated back to horned Herefords. With the arrival of the fourth generation, which was now 15/16 pedigree Hereford,

the tight control of the breeding policy was relaxed and the society started to expand rapidly. The speed of expansion however was regulated by the number of bulls, of suitable quality, available for sale.

On 1 July 1956, the Hereford Herd Book Society, now known as the Hereford Cattle Society, took over the custodianship of the previous breeding records of the British Polled Hereford Society and from then on, all British Polled cattle were registered at Hereford House, in a separate register. As the strain expanded, the British Polled began to appear in the show ring. In 1957, TE Gwillim of Ffostill won the local Hereford class at Brecon Show with Tyrbryn 3 Mary and was second in an open class at Sennybridge. This was the first time the British Polled were shown in competitive classes with horned Herefords and was a successful debut.

The following year, the society staged polled exhibits at some of the major shows, including the Royal Show and polled classes were held at the Three Counties for the first time. Through the late 1950s membership was rising steadily and the British Polled was increasingly appearing at society sales as well as in the summer show rings. In October 1959 at the society show and sale, Knightwick 3 Count (4th generation) won its class of 34 entries and was the first British Polled bull to win a class at the Hereford show and sale. Later at the sale, it made the top price in its class at 510gns to the Galtee Breeding Stations, EIRE.

By 1960, many shows had provided British Polled Hereford classes, including the Royal Welsh, Brecon and Kington where Tyrbryn 3 Sunboy won its class. At all these shows the British Polled, both bulls and females, were competing extremely successfully. Also, at the Hereford Herd Book Society show and sales, the British Polled maintained a price premium. Such was the breeding progress of the British Polled that within two years the special poll classes were discontinued at most shows, with cattle exhibited in full competition with horned cattle in Hereford classes. By now the British Polled was taking a greater part in main Hereford events throughout the year, becoming increasingly integrated with other Herefords. The British Polled was regularly represented at beef performance tests at both Barlby and Harrogate and invariably the animals’ live weight gains were among the highest of those on test.

The main concentration of breeders was in Herefordshire, with a good nucleus in west Wales, Yorkshire and Scotland with cattle sold into 42 counties in Britain as well as to Orkney, the Isle of Man and Ireland.

Another landmark in the history of the British Polled occurred at the January sales in 1963 when TE Gwillim of Fffostill bought Knightwick 3 Granger for 1,020gns. This was the first time a British Polled bull had reached four figures and was a sign of the growth of the breed and confidence of its breeders. Pembrokeshire-based Lady Marian Philipps commenced breeding Herefords in 1951 and later produced Picton 3 Courtier, a fifth generation bull, sired by Tyrbryn 3 Truant and out of Picton 3 Diana. Courtier was retained as stock bull at Picton and by 1964 had sired 31 calves from horned cows and 12 calves from polled cows. All 43 calves were polled and Courtier had the honour of being the first known homozygous bull which was pure for the poll factor.

British Polled membership of the society

increased by a steady 10 per cent each year, and correspondingly the number of cattle registered also expanded, together with the quality of cattle bred. By 1965, the British Polled was creating great interest, not only among breeders in this country, but also abroad. SJ Powell of Gannah Farm, Holme Lacy, sold a British Polled bull to Bulgaria, shortly after TR Eckley and son, Court Llacca, Felinfach, Breconshire sold one to Sweden. These were the first exports of the British Polled, and as they proved their worth were followed by others. Mark comments: “My main memories as a young man were of the Edinburgh sales which started in the 50s, and gained momentum in the 70s. There was a huge representation of the British Polled strain there. Breeders would sell 10 or 12 bulls per herd, all going for suckler breeding before the importation of the continentals.

“They referred to the British Polled as the ‘Galloway strain’ in Scotland and they would be sold along side the horned cattle and the volume Bs as we knew them, which was the imported poll. They would yield tremendous averages, knocking spots off the volume Bs. “In the 1970s on school holidays we would go up to Scotland for the sale, and a good number of us would stay in the same guest house. The atmosphere was just fantastic.” The late 1970s and early 80s saw the high-water mark for this strain of the breed. Summer show wins and the sale topping performances allowed them to make their mark but the tide moved against them. Probably the most notable show win for the British Polled was at the 1972 Three Counties Show where David Walker’s Knightwick 3 Crosby stood interbreed champion. The decline which followed was not because of the inability of the cattle or the enthusiasm or work of the breeders, but a cluster of circumstances that affected their chances.

Firstly, while the number of participating herds had increased and allowed momentum to gain, numbers did not compare to the horned genetic herds or the population of the poll Hereford. Furthermore, the refusal of the World Hereford Council to acknowledge the British Polled Hereford as an acceptable strain of the family of the breed on the basis that it contained recorded bloodlines from outside the breed, held back pedigree breeding exports and subsequently greater expansion. Thirdly, fashions were changing. The British Polled cattle were noted for their strength, fleshing and solidness while within UK circles, the stamp of the cattle which came to dominate the late 1980s moving into the 90s would be different. Cattle that were longer and leaner became the order of the day. The British Polled section of the Hereford herd book continued to register animals. Any calves containing British Polled breeding from previous volumes were dutifully entered, whether bred-on using the full genetics of British Polled or more often poll Hereford and horned ancestry. Bringing this conversation up to the modern day, during the year 2021, 26 members of the Hereford Cattle Society registered a total of 152 British Polled calves, with numbers having remained fairly similar over recent years. This section of the breed still has those special characteristics that differentiate them from others and as a result are in demand and have a following. During the lockdown year of 2020, the Dyfed Hereford Breeders Club organised two virtual shows: one in the summer and a Christmas calf event. The championship winners of both were females representing the British Polled Hereford. Within the pedigree of Ashdale 3 Queen 770, Dyfed’s virtual calf show’s winning heifer calf, seven generations have passed since a British Polled registered bull was used, being Ashdale 3 Gus born in 1976. It is poll and occasionally horned Hereford genetics which have built up the bloodline, but these striking winners still possess the British Polled stamp, demonstrating the influence of the Galloway.

“It is really interesting how persistent the Galloway traits still shine through, being persistent in these animals’ coats and structure,” says Mark.

Commenting on the breed, Hereford breeder and historian, Clive Davies says: “It begs the question of ‘how much Galloway bloodline is within the breeding?’ The heifer calf which won the 2020 Dyfed Club Christmas show is 14 generations from the inclusion of Ambassador of Knocknarling. A written pedigree of that specification is 16,385 named animals with the Galloway included just twice.

Ashdale 3 Queen 509 from the Thorne family won the 2020 Dyfed Club virtual show

“This is a great demonstration of the fact that 14 or 15 generations back from an animal is significant. Some modern day experts believe that enough detail can be revealed in three generations.

“Would-be breeders need to consider that if positive merits of animals can be still advantageous after this length of time, so can the influence of stock included that possess adverse traits. Not only does the British Polled Hereford impress today, it also provides a vivid lesson in genetics and the responsibilities of breeders.”