This year, the Aubrac stand promises to be even bigger than previous years. Various prizewinners from summer shows, including the winners from the hotly contested Tullamore Show, will be on show at the stand. Alongside these prizewinners will be a mixture of both dairy- and suckler-bred Aubrac crosses to show what exactly the breed can do on a commercial basis.

But this year, the focus will be on encouraging more farmers to use Aubrac AI bulls. The society will be highlighting what bulls are available to farmers throughout the country and in what AI station. Up until recently, Aubrac AI usage in Ireland had been relatively low, but due to the increased focus on €uro-Star values, this is changing. The society hopes that, with a little guidance, the breed will see a surge in use in the future.

Since the introduction of the BDGP scheme and the focus on €uro-Star evaluations, a number of leading AI companies have seen the value the Aubrac breed has to offer and in turn have added both Irish- and French-bred bulls to their programmes. This too has seen a number of breeders sign up for the ICBF’s new whole-herd performance-recording programme, one the society has backed and will be encouraging breeders to sign up to at this year’s Ploughing.

Aubracs are becoming a credible alternative to the traditional beef breeds for the dairy farmer, and suckler and beef farmers are impressed by the easy care and finishing qualities of the breed.

The society will also be hosting its annual draw for a chance to win a pedigree registered Aubrac maiden heifer to the value of €2,000.