Hallow Holsteins look to make it three in-a-row

With exhibitors from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) not coming north to the Royal Ulster Winter Fair in 2025, it means the Jones family from Co Wexford won’t be able to secure their third supreme interbreed championship in-a-row on 11 December.

On Monday, event organisers indicated they intend on proceeding with the cattle competition, despite the imposition of a 20km temporary control zone around a farm in Bangor, Co Down, which had two animals give an initial positive test for bluetongue virus.

Farmers in that zone can’t move livestock off their farms, except for slaughter, and that restriction has excluded some notable pedigree Holstein breeders from taking part this year.

It is also not possible for ROI breeders to participate, as bluetongue controls mean cattle in Northern Ireland cannot move to a farm in ROI – the only movement allowed is to direct slaughter.

Coveted

Another win would have seen Hallow Holsteins take home the coveted title for a remarkable eighth time and crown off an extraordinary 24 months in the showring for the pedigree Holstein herd.

At the 2024 Winter Fair, the family won with Hallow Octain Twizzle, a four-year-old cow, picked out by American livestock judge Nathan Thomas.

The same cow went on to win the AXA National Dairy Show in Millstreet, Co Cork, in October 2025.

Meanwhile, Hallow Holsteins won the interbreed dairy championship at Balmoral Show in 2025 with their fourth-calver Annaghmore Fitz Atlee, bred by and co-owned with Clive and Joel Richardson, Annaghmore Holsteins in Co Armagh.

In August, Annaghmore Fitz Atlee was crowned the 2025 Diageo Baileys Irish champion cow at the Virginia Show. At the RUAS Winter Fair in 2023, the Jones family took the supreme champion title with the fourth-calving cow Hallow Solomon Twizzle 3.

Jersey wins

In the two years prior to that, Jersey animals had taken home the top accolade at the Winter Fair, with the fourth-calver Potterswalls Chrome Glamour, from the Fleming family outside Seaforde in Co Down winning in 2022. In 2021, it was the turn of Clandeboye Estate in Bangor, Co Down, with Clandeboye Tequila Cookie, a seven-year-old, fifth-calver, sweeping the boards.

Judge

The livestock judge at the 2025 event is Alta Mae Core from Salvisa, Kentucky.

She is an internationally renowned dairy cattle judge and Jersey breeder and is returning to the show 25 years on from when she was the first ever female livestock judge, back when the event was held at the King’s Hall site in Belfast back in 2000.

In recent years, she has officiated at various events to include the World Dairy Expo (USA), Royal Winter Fair (Canada), All American Jersey Show and at international events in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica.

Alta Mae, alongside her husband Jeff, operates the award-winning herd of Keightley & Core Jerseys. In 2022, they were named the 79th recipients of the Master Breeder award of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA).

Judging programme at the Winter Fair

The judging programme is due to get under way at 8.30am, with showmanship classes which are being judged this year by Jane Steele from Scotland.

The judging of the four main dairy breeds starts at 10am, to include junior championships and heifer championships.

The breed championships are due to begin at 3pm ahead of the interbreed championships at around 4pm.

Call in at the Irish Farmers Journal stand

If you are attending the Winter Fair, please drop in at the Irish Farmers Journal stand, located within the centre section of the main Eikon Exhibition Centre.

We always welcome feedback from readers and will have some light refreshments on offer.

We also intend to complete a recording of a live Farm Tech Talk podcast on our stand at around 12 noon – and hope to have a couple of live interviews with senior executives from local dairy processors at approximately 11.30am and 1.30pm.

So drop by for a listen, everyone is welcome to sit in on those recordings.

Paul Vernon to address NIIAS breakfast

The main speaker at the annual pre-Winter Fair breakfast organised by the NI Institute of Agricultural Science (NIIAS) is Paul Vernon, the chief executive of Leprino Europe.

Vernon has led the company for 30 years, with the business specialising in the production of mozzarella cheese from two main UK processing sites – Magheralin in NI and Llangefni in Wales. It originally operated as a joint venture between Glanbia Plc and Leprino Foods, known as Glanbia Cheese, before being taken into 100% ownership by US headquartered Leprino in April 2023.

Vernon is also currently the chair of the trade body, Dairy UK, and a director of the Dairy Council in NI.

The NIIAS event, sponsored by Alltech, takes place on the morning of the Winter Fair (Thursday 11 December), at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Hillsborough site, which is only a five-minute drive from Balmoral Park.

An Ulster Fry will be served at 7.45am, with the event concluding by 9am. The cost is £15 for members and students and £25 for non-members, payable at the door. Pre-booking is essential. Contact Louise at secretary@niias.info to reserve a place.