Northern Ireland Star of the Future Calf Show
A great night was had last night in Swatragh Mart for our annual Star of the Future calf show. Thank you to all who exhibited and the sponsors. A special thanks to our judge Murt Ryan, Co Tipperary Northern Ireland Stars of the Future Calf Show – The British Charolais Cattle Society
Clogher Show 2025
A top-quality entry was judged by Steve Nesbitt, at the NI Charolais National Championship, held at Clogher Valley and kindly sponsored by Bank of Ireland.
Taking the overall title was Damview Ultra, an impressive two-year-old home-bred bull from first time exhibitor at the event, Claire Ferris, Millisle, Newtownards. Sired by Kilduff Rockstar and out of the Sheehills Majestic daughter, Damview Petal, he had earlier stood champion at Castlewellan Show and is being kept for use in the herd. Clogher Show 2025 – The British Charolais Cattle Society
Royal Welsh 2025
Bluetongue restrictions may have lessened the entry numbers but certainly not the quality in the Charolais classes at the Royal Welsh show, which were expertly judged by Tracey Nicoll of the renowned Balthayock herd, Perth.
She said: “The standard was very high and the breeders and stock men and women must be thanked for all their effort. I was particularly impressed by the two-year-old heifer class – the quality was fantastic throughout.”
It was from that class that Tracey picked her female and overall champion, Teme Unice, a two-year-old heifer from Vince Corbett and family, The Gorther, Felindre, Powys, which went onto take the reserve overall title in the inter-breed cattle contest. Sired by Balthayock Ranger and out of the Waterfall Hero daughter, Teme Murron, Unice was continuing her success from earlier in the show season, where she was reserve inter-breed champion at both Shropshire County Show and Aberystwyth and Ceredigion County Show. Royal Welsh Show 2025
Great Yorkshire Show 2025
In the Harrogate heat, it was the two-year-old heifer, Jessops Ugogirl, from Ellie Pendlebury, that stepped up to take the overall breed championship at the Great Yorkshire Show, judged by David Bothwell, of the Killadeas herd in Ballinamallard, Enniskillen.
Ugogirl was bought last year, along with two other females from the Jessops herd, for Ellie’s growing Highcroft herd in Wigan, which was founded by her grandfather and is now being re-established. A daughter of the 14,000gns Glenericht Ricksen, out of Westcarse Rosie, Ugogirl stood third at the Yorkshire last year, and has bloomed into a champion this year, having earlier won the inter-breed title at the North Yorkshire Show in June. She is currently in calf to Maerdy Orpheus. Great Yorkshire Show 2025 …
Royal Highland 2025
Both the temperature and the quality were high in the Charolais ring, at what turned out to be an extremely successful Royal Highland Show for the breed.
Allen Drysdale of the Glenericht herd in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was tasked with judging a strong turnout on day one of the four-day event and he gave the overall title to the male champion, Falleninch Tommy, ensuring a third Highland Show championship for Andrew Hornall, Falleninch, Stirling. Highland Show 2025
Balmoral Show 2025
It was a successful Balmoral Show for the Charolais breed, with a top-quality line-up, turned out to perfection in the sunshine, for judge David Barker, of the Caylers herd in Nuthampstead.
Taking the overall championship award was the two-year-old, in-calf heifer, Stranagone Uncanny, from Robert McWilliams, Maghera, Co Londonderry. She is sired by the home-bred Blelack Digger son, Stranagone Jones, while the dam, Harestone Panjai, is a heterozygous polled daughter of Harestone Jaquard, bought at a Harestone online sale. As a calf, Uncanny was reserve junior female champion at the Future Stars Calf Show at Swatragh.Balmoral Show 2025
Welcome to the British Charolais Cattle Society
We are a registered charity – a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, to serve the public by promoting and improving the Charolais breed.
Since 1962, we’ve been making the case for Charolais because no bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet.
Charolais offers a bright future for British beef. Charolais is the best breed for British farmers, because it’s more sustainable and profitable, due to its:
- Continued improvement to calving ease
- Unrivalled growth rates
- Outstanding carcass quality
- Killing out percentages
Charolais-sired suckled calves can be:
- Sold as weanlings, commanding top prices and regularly topping markets up and down the country.
- Stored through the winter and finished off the farm at 12-15 months on a forage and grain-based diet.
- Brought through the winter on a maintenance diet and finished off with grass the following summer, depending on the farm’s system.
The Charolais breed is renowned for crossing into profit due to its outstanding attributes.
By collaborating with the cattle farming community, the British Charolais Cattle Society is driven to minimise costs and maximise the efficiency of British cattle farming.
Find out more about the Society here.