Italian breeding expert Giuseppe Beltramino from Buriasco in the region of Piedmont will adjudicate at the 2025 Diageo Baileys Champion Cow competition.
Beltramino brings with him a lifetime of experience in pedigree dairy breeding and showing. His family runs the well-known Bel Holstein herd, which he remains actively involved in, managing and exhibiting homebred cows alongside his brothers, Mauro and Piero.
The Beltramino brothers have been showing since 1986 and continue to feature prominently at major Italian and European events.
Top cows from the Bel Holstein herd include Bel Mtoto Diana EX-93, Al-Pe Doriana EX-97, Pozosaa Goldwyn Sonia EX-94, and Du Bon Vent Inkapi EX-97.
Looking ahead to what will be his first time in Ireland as a judge for the Diageo Baileys Champion Cow competition on 20 August at the Virginia Show, Beltramino said: “When judging dairy cows, my first priority is production potential. I want to see a cow that looks like she can work hard and last. The winning cow will be balanced and have the overall presence that marks a great cow.”
About the judge
Beltramino also coordinates the international distribution of elite French and Italian Holstein genetics for Genes Diffusion and Intermizoo.
Before moving into genetics, he spent several years on the European circuit as a professional cow fitter, specialising in clipping for show preparation.
An ANAFI-accredited judge since 2005, Beltramino has officiated at top-level shows in over a dozen countries including Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and France, where he judged at SPACE in 2012. He also judged the Italian National Holstein Show in Cremona in both 2012 and 2017 and was most recently in the ring at the Spanish National Holstein Show in 2024.
The Diageo Baileys Champion Cow remains one of the most respected titles in the Irish dairy show calendar, combining outstanding type with production credentials. With the Italian confirmed as judge for 2025, the event promises to be a quality line-up. Entries for the show close on 13 August.