Highlights from the March 2026 General Meeting held via video conference were:
Release of a New Breed Standard
Following more than 12 months of research and consultation Council recently approved a revised Breed Standard for British White Cattle. The breed standard replaces the previous Standard of Excellence contained in Regulation 19.
A Breed Standard is prepared by a Breed Association and outlines the ideal characteristics of that specific breed of cattle. It provides guidance to breeders as to what they should strive for when selecting and breeding animals to maintain or improve the breed’s traits. A well-articulated Breed Standard is essential to maintain the integrity of the herd.
As well as describing the characteristics of the ideal animal, the Breed Standard may describe faults or deficiencies that are so detrimental to the breed as to disqualify the animal from registration or reproduction.
To support members in interpreting terms used in the Breed Standard additional resources have been developed to demonstrate conformation and markings in British White cattle.
The Breed Standard can be found in Regulation 19 available on the Society website along with the supporting resources.
Release of a New Bull Assessment Guideline
Provision of tools to assist members, particularly those new to stud cattle breeding, was identified as an initiative under the Society’s marketing plan.
So, Council has developed a Bull Assessment Guideline that aligns with the breed standard for use by members in selecting bulls for registration, retention or purchase.
The bull assessment guide has been designed as a simple checklist and can be accessed on the website here.
Status of the Society Sponsored On Line Bull Sale
Council has for some time been evaluating the efficacy of sponsoring an on-line bull sale for interested members. Key considerations were the selection and evaluation process, selection of a preferred platform, cost sharing between members and the Society and the requirement for, and form of, substantial marketing efforts ahead of the sale.
At this stage the bull sale remains under consideration pending further evaluation but if it proceeds it is expected to take place in Q3 2026.
Registration and Transfer Statistics
Calendar 2025 saw a 14% increase in registrations on 2024 numbers with a 30% increase in bull registrations. Total female registrations were 104 and there were 31 bulls registered. There was a 62% increase in transfers on 2024 however 73% of those were between existing members.
Breed Logic Updates
Following the launch of ABRI’s Breed Logic herd book registry system in October 2024 the Manager of Member Services has now been given Registry access. This is the first step towards members ultimately being able to process registrations and transfers directly themselves.
Members should contact Manager of Member Services Lucy Olson if experiencing any issues accessing the herd book via the website.
The full minutes of the meeting can be accessed in the Members Area of the website.
The 2026 Annual General Meeting will be hosted by Rod Cameron and take place on Saturday 17 October at Darnum, Victoria. We’ll have further details in the June 2026 Newsletter!
