The first pedigree calf fair at the Beef NI Expo is set to take place at the Balmoral Showgrounds in Belfast next Saturday 14 November.

Event organisers have reported a big entry of 300 calves from seven to 14 months old, catalogued from 10 native and continental breeds. There will be 65 commercial trade stands on the day, as well as a series of seminars.

Event chair David Connolly said that the theme for the event is Beef Strategy 2020, which will focus on the way forward for the industry by improving efficiencies within farms. “The cattle industry has a lot to learn from the pig and poultry sectors in terms of driving efficiency at farm level,” he said.

Six speakers will each focus on a different aspect of this strategy. Speaking on the role of research in the beef industry will be Dr Francis Lively from AFBI. He said that industry data obtained from the Bovine Information System (BovIS) has shown that there is a wide variation in the performance of beef cattle produced and finished in NI. “Research has shown that management of genetics, nutrition and health is critical to optimise animal performance in a cost-effective manner,” he said.

Also speaking is veterinarian Sharon Magnier from MSD Animal Health on calf health, with a particular focus on pneumonia prevention.

Judging and seminars will start at 10am with each talk running for 15 minutes. There will be a questions and answers session from 12pm and then the seminars will be run again from 1pm.