Bi-Weekly Update – Friday 12th March 2021:
Society Announcement: The Sad Passing of Jim Jack:
It is with much sadness that we have to report the passing of Jim Jack, 6th March 2021, peacefully, at the South West Acute Hospital Enniskillen. John James “Jim” B.Sc. Late of 467 Belfast Road, Cavanaleck, Fivemiletown. A much loved husband of Mary Ann “May”, and a devoted father of Helena (Martin), Heather (Peter) and Guy (Helen). Also a dear brother of Roy, David, Iris and the late Holmes, Pearl and Leslie. And a very special grandfather and great grandfather.
Please note due to the current circumstances and government advice regarding COVID-19 the family home and funeral will be strictly private.
Family flowers only, donations in lieu if desired are to the South West Acute Hospital Stroke Unit. Please make all cheques payable to the “Stroke Unit Ward 5” c/o Marcus Madill – S.R Elliott Funeral Directors, Office & Funeral Home, Drumclay Park North, Irvinestown Road, Enniskillen, BT74 6ND, or any family member.
Very sadly missed by his loving wife May and family, and all the family circle.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the family at this sad time and a further more detailed tribute about Jim Jack and his involvement with the Aberdeen-Angus breed will be issued soon.
AGM:
We can now confirm that a date has been set for the Annual General Meeting which is as follows:
Wednesday 31st March 2021 at 1.00pm
Due to current restrictions, this will be a virtual, on-line meeting using zoom.
You will now have received information by post on how you can register to attend in due course and further details can also be found by clicking here
We’re Hiring – Breed Development Manager:
The Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society is looking for a Breed Development Manager capable of driving the uptake of Aberdeen-Angus cattle and beef. Working as a deputy to the Chief Executive, the Breed Development Manager will be involved in all aspects of the Society and the beef industry.
The Aberdeen-Angus breed is proven worldwide for its superior eating quality and economic and environmental sustainability, and this position requires someone passionate and capable of enhancing that reputation.
The successful candidate will be involved in improving the Angus supply chain, working with breeders, farmers, processors, and retailers, developing physical data collection and analysis. The Breed Development Manager will be involved in cutting edge cattle breeding and research, managing collaborative projects, and will therefore need strong livestock experience, an understanding of the meat supply chain, breeding and genetics.
This is an exciting and challenging role, reporting to the Chief Executive and the Breed Development Committee and your ability to make a difference through industry liaison and engagement will be recognised.
On offer is a competitive remuneration package and a unique opportunity within an industry that is having to evolve and adapt very quickly to market demands.
Applications inclusive of a covering letter, and an up-to-date CV emailed to…
Laura Stewart – PA to the CEO
Full position description available by clicking here
Applications close on Friday 26th March 2021.
Upcoming Society Sales…
Multibreed Pedigree Sale at Melton Mowbray Market:
Melton Mowbray Market, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 1JY
Multibreed Pedigree Sale of bulls & females
Saturday 27th March 2021
Southern Spring Show & Sale of Pedigree & Commercial Aberdeen-Angus Cattle:
Worcester Livestock Market, Nunnery Way, Worcester WR4 0SQ
Saturday 3rd April 2021
United Auctions, Stirling May Sale – Entry Form:
SALE: Sunday 2nd – Monday 3rd May 2021
CLOSING DATE: Friday 19th March 2021
Please contact Caroline or Fiona in the registrations department to let them know which animals you are putting forward to the sale ASAP this is to ensure animals have a DNA & MYOSTATIN result at time of sale
Sale Animal Photos:
If anyone has any photos of animals they have going forward to upcoming Society sales, please send them to Amy for advertising on our website and Facebook page – amy@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
YDP Workshop Postponed – England & Wales North (SHADWELL):
The decision has been made to postpone the Shadwell workshop from Saturday 10th April 2021 to Saturday 24th July 2021.
Please let Jess Musk know if you would like to attend this workshop by email – ydpjess@gmail.com
YDP Instagram Takeover:
We are looking for each of our YDP participants to take over the YDP Instagram page @aberdeenangusydp.
If you have an interesting week planned on the farm, or an exciting trip planned, or just your varied life on the farm then please contact us to book your week.
Our members are looking forward to varied, fun and fresh, posts, videos and photos from you.
Email: ydp@aberdeen-angus.co.uk to book your week.
Stock for Sale & Stock Wanted:
If you would like to advertise stock for sale & stock wanted on our website then please send all the relevant information, contact information along with pictures/videos to Amy: amy@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Potential buyers can contact members directly.
(Stock for sale is for Aberdeen-Angus members to advertise only. We only publish adverts for pedigree Aberdeen-Angus stock).
Staff Update:
The staff are all still working from home and continue as a team to deliver to the best of their ability to the membership. Due to the volume of emails that are being received at present please bear with us and we will reply as soon as we possibly can.
In order to work more efficiently in relation to the large volume of emails that are received, please be aware that the info@aberdeen-angus.co.uk email address is being wound down and is no longer monitored regularly. Should you email this address you will receive a standard reply to this effect asking you to email the correct person from the contact us page on the website, so that your enquiry can be dealt with as quickly as possible by the person responsible for the particular task. To make this process more streamlined, we are currently working to update the contact us page with a brief description of the main duties that each member of staff deal with to help you select the most appropriate person to contact.
By contacting the correct person by email in the first instance we hope that you will receive a quicker response to your enquiry and urge you to do this going forward so please embrace this change and let’s make it work and the whole business work smarter going forward.
To be able to contact the staff, please see email addresses below. By emailing us this is our most favoured method of communication
Barrie Turner, CEO (01738 448345) – barrie@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Laura Stewart, Office Manager (01738 448343) – laura@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Angela Cumming, Accounts (01738 448344) – angela@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Caroline Ford, Registrations, Sales (01738 448341) – caroline@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Fiona Flood, Registrations, New member enquiries (01738 448342) – fiona@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Amy Johnstone, Shows & Sales, Stock For Sale, Stock Wanted, Website & Social Media (01738 448348) –amy@aberdeen-angus.co.uk
Barbara Webster, Pedigree Cattle Services (01738 448346) – barbara@breedplan.co.uk
Helena Stewart, Aberdeen-Angus Accounts & Pedigree Cattle Services (01738 448347) – helena@breedplan.co.uk
News & Notices from CEO, Barrie Turner:
- Another fortnight has disappeared never to be had again! And it’s been a busy one with so much happening hopefully a bit of an insight into the world of the CEO.
- At last, it would seem that there is light at the end of the tunnel with COVID-19 with the publication of a “Roadmap” in both England and the devolved Governments.
- All of course subject to change but progress on vaccinations and herd immunity through that as farmers we understand vaccination and herd immunity and I still maintain they need a good vet on the sage committee!
- No fixed dates for the office to be repopulated again but as soon as we can for everyone’s sanity, we will get back in which will help us on so many fronts.
- The staff are holding up well considering that next week it will be a year since we closed the office, home working is not easy simple things like phones ringing and three people being able to pick up a call is a nightmare.
- I have received a few calls with disgruntled people not having a call answered we have not got our normal facilities! Please, please be patient we are doing the best we can given the circumstances.
- Brexit as we are all aware has presented some challenges and the devolvement of our EU members from the herd book is possibly the biggest change that is affecting the Society.
- The Company has now been established in the Republic of Ireland and we are well underway with the infrastructure that will facilitate our EU members to still maintain their links to the home of the breed!
- Recruitment of a General Manager has been the focus in the last period with a good field of quality applicants and we are in the final stages of making the appointment.
- Thanks to the interview panel of Louis Byrne, Mack Crowe, John McEnroe and Michael O’Sullivan our HR consultant in the ROI for their time with that process.
- A review of our insurances at this time of year with our provider takes place, thanks and a well done to Angela Cumming for her input into that on Zoom this week.
- There is a member facing platform change being offered for the registration system, we have had some information through that I have been sharing with one or two members for their feedback.
- A few issues have been highlighted and I am very wary of changes given the experience with the “backroom” DNA module change being a far greater challenge that was portrayed by ABRI.
- We are Hiring! You may have seen an advert in the press this week for a Breed Development Manager. If you know anyone who is technically minded and has R7D experience and a will to take the breed forward with lots of new initiatives that have been identified to do that then pass this on!
- Applications for this fantastic and unique opportunity to join the Society close on the 26th March so let’s get it out there and find the best in the business to take us ahead of the field.
- Amy Johnstone continues to do a great job with social media, web advertising and shows and sales as well as processing and sending out requests for DNA samples from bulls who have not got a 50K SNP test of record.
- I cannot stress how important this is as we will not be able to sire verify from Microsatellite test results after January 2022 please dealt with the new samples as soon as possible and get them taken and sent back for testing.
- Registrations are under pressure a bit earlier this year with still being a person down, remote working, again given the circumstances and conditions this year its difficult we are doing the best we can, and everything is just taking longer than expected.
- Pinstone communications masterplan is coming together, and a rolling annual plan is being developed to ensure maximum positive exposure. Such is the importance of the marketing function we have strengthened to team at our side to have an input.
- A good programme covering all aspects of the supply chain has been established and targeted editorial advertising and social media campaigns will be launching very soon across our four pillars, it’s an awesome story and will be eye catching from farm gate to consumer.
- Great British Beef week is coming up and Pinstone have engaged with the press heavily on this to maximise coverage and exposure for the best of British Beef breeds.
- David Ismail the incoming President continues to assemble his teams for the next year in the Society with some positive projects and aims to take the breed forward.
- It is all promising stuff, but a great amount of focus is required to deliver on the projects that we are planning to start, and some of the distractions that take time away from these important subjects need to be minimised.
- I had a principle a couple of years ago and that was, if it does not sell an extra pack of Aberdeen-Angus beef or sell an extra bull or heifer or bring in an extra copper or two to the Society or the membership then it should not be on the agenda!
- This is an ideal really, but behind the statement is the reality that the more positive and less negative business that we can keep in front of the council and committee members and the staff at pedigree House the better off we will be in the long run.
- The virtual AGM is looming, and Laura Stewart is battling her way through organising this with the help of Bob Allen our IT consultant. Its all brand new and hopefully will only be needed once but all new learnings so challenging!
- Barbara Webster was due to retire this month but things being the way they are and prevailing circumstances being very difficult I am pleased to let everyone know that Barbara has agreed to defer her retirement until the end of June.
- This shows tremendous commitment to the cause to which I am and will be eternally grateful to her. She has also agreed to stay on part time after that to help when necessary and again very grateful to have that backstop on behalf of us all Thank you Barbara!
- Hopefully by then we will be able to get out as a team for a bite to eat in a restaurant and celebrate that event in proper style!
- Some concerns over scanning availability there have been plans to run some crush side accreditation and strengthen the team of scanners, covid put the mockers on this but with restrictions lifting the preparation for this is in place and as soon as this can be managed it will be done.
- A manufacturer of scanning probes has been found and there are several orders going in that will increase our capability and capacity. This is not an AACS initiative but a joint breed society initiative that is being coordinated through the NBA.
- We are aware that this has been an issue that is long overdue but hopefully like Covid-19 there is light at the end of the tunnel and the service will be able to run efficiently and when breeders require scanners to attend their farms, they will be available.
- The Maternal Index work has reached the next stage with 4 herds now having had their figures run on the index and these are being evaluated against the actual animals in the herd first results are positive and we look forward to the rest of the feedback.
- The next couple of weeks will see preparation for the recruitment process of the Breed Development Manager, panel agreed, process agreed and evaluation of candidates to ensure a fair and equal opportunity for all who apply.
- The Show season may be starting again, and we will be working with the Show Societies who can go ahead to get schedules and classes out and published for those of you who have show teams or stock that will be prepared and show ready.
- Highland now will be behind closed doors; The Yorkshire is widely reported to be going ahead and the Balmoral postponed from May is still scheduled to go ahead.
- Very hopeful for the calf shows to mark the return of the regular fixture calendar in the showring and we will be preparing schedules for this as normality returns.
- A multitude of Zoom calls again in the last two weeks with 32 calls from between 30 mins and two hours in duration with a total of 45 hours being spent talking to my laptop! That’s one week of working hours in two!
- Rolling 12 months of UK BCMS registration figures from 1st February 2020 to end of January 2021 revealed that 63870 Aberdeen Angus pure and 376278 Aberdeen Angus cross cattle were registered total 440148 in the 12-month period.
- Significance is that this is 741 cattle above our rivals putting Aberdeen-Angus as the UK number one breed for this period! Paul Jeenes – we were a month out with our forecast that we gave to the press in June 2019 at the Highland show!
- This is a small snapshot of what happens in the world of the CEO there is far more that is covered that would make the report far more longwinded than it is.
- As always keep safe and well as the period of self-isolation for many of you approaches anyway with calving season starting and I wish you all a trouble-free season.
News & Notices from the Accounts Department:
STATEMENTS
- Statements have been sent out. If you do have any outstanding invoices, prompt payment would be very much appreciated.
2021 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
- A kindly reminder that membership for 2021 is due to be paid, if not already done so.
You can pay by either cheque, internet banking or credit card. Please don’t forget to quote your membership number when making payments.
RECEIVING SOCIETY INVOICES BY EMAIL
- In order to try and save on postage costs we would like to send our invoices by email. If you have not already done so, can you please provide us with your details? Please click on the link below…
News & Notices from the Registrations Department:
Registrations are quite simply flying in, we are trying our best to keep on top of these and get your certificates out in a timely fashion. Where we have an e-mail address for you, we will now send invoices direct. Please check your junk folder in case any communication lands there. If we have any error/query reports on calf registrations, they will also be emailed to you.
If you find you cannot gain access to the on-line registration system, it may be because a debt has exceeded 120 days on your account. We run our stats/reports on the last day of each month. If a debt has exceeded 120 days, the system automatically withdraws access. Please do not repeatedly try to access your account as if you log in too many times the account will be blocked.
News & Notices from the Ireland Office:
Spring Premier Sale Nenagh
The annual Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association Spring Premier sale will take place at Nenagh Mart, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary on Thursday, April 29th. All bulls must be exhibitor bred, registered with the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society since birth and all exhibitors must be fully paid up members of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society at the time of entry. Entries close on April 1st and for entry forms and the full list of the rules of the sale, please click here
New Bull Sale for 2021
The Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association is delighted to announce that a new sale for 2021 has been confirmed with a sale of Aberdeen-Angus bulls due to take place at Cashel Mart, Cashel, Co. Tipperary on Thursday, April 22nd. Please note that entries for this sale should be sent directly to Cashel Mart (AND NOT THE MOHILL OFFICE) and for full details and the entry form, please click here
From us all at the Society have a great weekend and stay safe!
