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The All Breeds All Britain Calf Show Provides Platform for Dairy’s Next Generation


Having not taken place since 2019, the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show returned to the East of England Showground for a fantastic showcase of expert young handlers and pedigree dairy calves from across the UK.

The Show took place from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th October and saw over 260 calves and 140 young handlers come together for the annual event which represents the Ayrshire, British Friesian, Brown Swiss, Dairy Shorthorn, Guernsey, Holstein and Jersey breeds.

With calves arriving from midday on the Friday, the young breeders were left to settle in with their animals before watching Showmanship demonstrations relating to their relevant breeds in the evening. These demonstrations, led by the Master Showmanship Judges provided a great insight into what each Judge would be looking for, along with lots of useful tips and tricks to help them place higher in the internationally recognized competition.

On the Saturday morning, Holstein Showmanship Judge Brian Weatherup welcomed young breeders to the ring to showcase their talent and for him to determine who would be crowned as this year’s Champion Handler. Judge Stuart Williams took to the Coloured Breed’s Ring to help determine their winner.

There were four classes for the Holstein leaders, split by age with Brian selecting Matthew Hodgson from the Border & Lakeland Club as his winner of the Junior Class. In the Intermediate Class, Lillie Jones from the Western Club was in first place with Rosie Dennison from Lancashire winning the Senior Class and Neil Sloan from Scotland placing first in the Matures. Rosie took home the title of Champion, followed by Neil as Reserve and Natasha Kirby, who placed second in the Mature Class, as Honourable Mention.

The coloured breed Showmanship Champion results were:

Ayrshire Showmanship Championship
Champion: Enfys Wheeler
R. Champion: Alison Hunter
H. Mention: Millie Tomlinson

British Friesian Showmanship Championship
Champion: Abi Marshall
R. Champion: Ruaridh Lawson
H. Mention: Daniel Edwards

Brown Swiss Showmanship Championship
Champion: Mark Guthrie
R. Champion: Hattie Hassall
H. Mention: Rachel Williamson

Dairy Shorthorn Showmanship Championship
Champion: Harry Collins
R. Champion: Georgia Bowman
H. Mention: Molly Collins

Guernsey Showmanship Championship
Champion: Margaret Thomas
R. Champion: Michael Dawes
H. Mention: Shannon Dawes

Jersey Showmanship Championship
Champion: Jessica Ravenhill-White
R. Champion: Chloe Braithwaite
H. Mention: Peighton Robertson

Sunday’s National Holstein Calf Show, judged by Mr Ben Yates, featured over 140 calves that had qualified at Club Calf Shows across the UK. The December born Wolfa Doorman Celicia 2, owned by William Horsley from the Border & Lakeland Club, was awarded the Champion title with Absolute Doorman Shes a Belter from Absolute Genetics (Lancashire) coming in as Reserve Champion, followed by Grayridge, Drointon & TLC Holstein’s Drointon TLC Jordy OK Seisme from the Scotland Club as Honourable Mention.

The Coloured Breeds were awarded as follows:

Ayrshire Championship
Judge: Mr James Lawrie
Champion: Knowe B-King Dainty Lass 2, S: Esquirdo & A Struthers
Reserve Champion: Brieryside Magic Sea Baby, M/s G Lawrie & Sons
Honourable Mention: Creech Hill Hawaiian Blossom, Creech Hill Farm Partnership

British Friesian Championship
Judge: Mr Brian Miller
Champion: Aintree Jingle Pauline 2, Aintree
Reserve Champion: Gemini Ben Rosie Red, T Barrell & A Malt
Honourable Mention: Adams Laura 14, B Lawson & Sons

Brown Swiss Championship
Judge: Mr David Wright
Champion: Blackrack Glenwood Mandy, Messrs Williamson
Reserve Champion: Blackrack Dynamite Fantastic, Messrs Williamson
Honourable Mention: Kedar Faust Esprit, T Lochhead & Sons

Dairy Shorthorn Championship
Judge: Mr Blaise Tomlinson
Champion: Cotonhall Montagna Moonlight, RD Kite & Son
Reserve Champion: 454 Churchroyd Bronte Wildeyes 71, IRG Collins & Partners
Honourable Mention: Churchroyd Tulip, IRG Collins & Partners

Guernsey Championship
Judge: Mr Iwan Thomas
Champion: Emma Eve Excalibur Rosie, Ms Polly Whetham
Reserve Champion: Emma Eve TBC Rosie 2 ET, Ms Polly Whetham
Honourable Mention: Kimcote Brogden Fragrant 8, AD and RM Thomas

Jersey Championship
Judge: Mr Iwan Morgan
Champion: Rivermead Bubba Levi, The Davis Family
Reserve Champion: Moonshine Engineer Lady, Ben Etteridge
Honourable Mention: Mydrim Volcanos Tracy, J D Evans

Throughout the weekend a number of other Holstein awards were presented.

Team Competitions

The theme for the stands was ‘Sports’ and awards were presented as follows:

Tidy Lines
Champion Team: Border & Lakeland
Reserve Champion Team: South East

Overall Stand Competition
Champion Team: Border & Lakeland
Reserve Champion Team: Derbyshire

Best Presented Stand (small clubs)
Champion Team: North East
Reserve Champion Team: East Midlands

Holstein Showmanship Champion Team
Joint winners: Border & Lakeland and Lancashire

Best Presented Stand (large clubs)
Champion Team: Derbyshire
Reserve Champion Team: Border & Lakeland

Holstein Calf Champion Team
Scotland

Best Presented Overall Stand
Champion Team: North East
Reserve Champion Team: Derbyshire

Holstein Champion Team
Champion Team: Border & Lakeland
Reserve Champion Team: Scotland

In addition to the Team Awards, Holstein UK presented a number of other awards during the annual event.

The Dick Stapleton Award was presented to Zoe Clear from Stonebridge Jerseys for her dedication and passion shown throughout the weekend, along with her support and encouragement of the younger breeders.

The Littlestar Award was presented to Rory Scott from the Scotland Club for his outstanding application and interview in front of the panel of judges consisting of Holstein UK President John Jamieson, Holstein UK Board Member Jane Whittaker and Semex Representative Richard Green.

The Louise Hartley Award was introduced in 2017 in memory of Lancashire HYB member Louise Hartley who sadly lost her battle to cancer in 2016. The award was presented to Jodie Nutsford of the Western Club in recognition of her commitment to her Club and the Holstein breed.

Commenting on the weekend, Naomi Lewis, National HYB Coordinator, said: “It has been so great to see everyone come together again after the last ABAB Calf Show in 2019. After two years, the level of competition was as high as ever and it is fantastic to see the enthusiasm, passion and dedication from the young breeders across all breeds. The weekend is a real testament to the hard work they put in ahead of the Show and I would like to congratulate everyone and extend a special thanks to all of the young breeder’s family, friends and helpers who come along and support the children and event each year – the event wouldn’t be possible without your help”.

Holstein UK is a member-owned organisation aimed at assisting members in breeding profitable, robust and productive dairy cattle.  Holstein UK is dedicated to innovation and quality and is driven to continuously improve the services offered. The charity is also the parent of two subsidiary companies, the Cattle Information Service (CIS) and the National Bovine Data Centre (NBDC) and is organiser of UK Dairy Day, an annual trade event for the dairy industry.

The CIS is the UK’s leading milk recording and health testing organisation operating a state-of-the-art laboratory.

The National Bovine Data Centre (NBDC) exists to develop industry-leading analysis of data for the improvement of dairy production in the UK. UK Dairy Day is held annually in September, taking place at the International Centre, Telford on Wednesday 14th September 2022.

Key Facts

  • Holstein UK was formed in 1999 from the merger of the Holstein Friesian Society (founded in 1909 as the British Holstein Cattle Society) and the British Holstein Society (founded in 1946)
  • The Society registers all pedigree Holstein and British Friesian cattle in the UK
  • The Holstein breed in the UK currently averages 8,600 litres per lactation over an average of three lactations

Holstein Young Breeders

Today’s youth is the future of British agriculture and they hold the key to the success of farming in the 21st century. Holstein Young Breeders (HYB) provides young agricultural enthusiasts with a wide range of activities that promote learning and provide new and exciting experiences and opportunities to socialise with like-minded people.

You don’t have to be a farmer to join HYB.  If you are aged 26 or under and have a passion for the dairy industry, HYB is for you!


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