The Dealer is always on the lookout for ways of beating the system and has noted a new month appearing on the cattle breeding calendar.

It’s called “Decembuary” and apparently it starts around 5 December and finishes on 31 December.

Because it’s almost 2022 anyway, any calves born during this period are given a birth date of 1 January 2022 to give them a little head start in the January-born class at the summer shows in 2022. Johnny Logan’s hit What’s Another Year? comes to mind. Sure what’s another month anyway?

Interestingly, I see a British farmer has been fined €23,800 for late registration of calves.

Thomas Bell, a pedigree Limousin breeder, was fined by the Cumbria trading standards commission.

Bell, of Hill Top Farm, Keswick, pleaded guilty to charges of falsely registering dates of birth of pedigree Limousin cattle and failing to record the use of veterinary medicines administered to cattle.