CHRIS MARTINDALE ELECTED AS THE 28TH BRITISH SIMMENTAL PRESIDENT

Shropshire-based breeder Chris Martindale has been elected as President of the British Simmental Cattle Society (BSCS) following the Society’s Annual General Meeting held recently in Stirling at the October Bull Sales.

BSCS President, Chris Martindale

Having served as a Council Member since 2021, he takes over from Norman Robson, Kilbride Farm, Ballyclare who had served as President for a two year term of office. Chris Martindale, who had been the Society’s Vice President and Chairman of Finance, also over the previous two years, becomes the 28th Chairman of the BSCS in its 54 year history, and the tenth from England.

Chris, together with his wife Kath, joined the BSCS in 1990. Their Forsdale Herd based at Coedfa, St Martins, Oswestry was established following the private purchase of two cows with calves at foot from the Dispersal Sale of the Boscobel Herd of Mrs EP Yates, Codsall Wood, Wolverhampton.  Simmental was the chosen breed as the Martindales wanted cows that were easy calving and easy managed, had good docility, and great mothering ability. Today the herd comprises of twelve pedigree cows and fits well with Chris who is the Sales Manager for Lloyd’s Animal Feeds, a company he has worked for 33 years.

In recent years, the herd has gone down the polled route, again with an increasing emphasis on ease of management, and with the calves from their latest heterozygous polled stock bull, Wroxall Nescafe (P), eagerly awaited in the Spring.   Keen supporters of local shows, the Forsdale Herd has met with much success showing females at Newport, Oswestry, and Denbeigh shows.  Bulls are sold from the farm and to a repeat customer base.  A noted pedigree judge, Chris Martindale has judged all over the country and at major shows including the Royal Highland, Royal Welsh, and the Simmental World Congress show held within the Royal Norfolk in 2008.  Most recently he judged the pre-sale show of Simmental bulls at Stirling in October 2022.

A significant momentum behind the Simmental breed has seen an uplift in commercial demand, a series of record sale averages, and increased pedigree registrations for three consecutive years. Commenting on this Chris Martindale said:  “In a focussed industry, commercial producers need high performing, benchmark maternal traits as the long-term foundation to build their suckler herds upon.”

“There’s an increasing recognition that modern Simmental genetics gives you that and more.  Easy calving, easy managed, full of milk, calving year on year, producing quality female replacements, and fleshy, growthy calves.  The analysis of AHDB’s figures proves the performance of Simmental females, both pure and when crossed with any breed.   Add in the further terminal advantages proven in age at slaughter and daily carcase gain, and it adds up to real money and performance for producers. “

BSCS President Chris Martindale (right), making a presentation to his predecessor Norman Robson at Stirling. Michael Durno, BSCS Vice President is on the left.

A further focus of the next two years will be preparing for the 25^th World Simmental Congress with it recently being announced that this will be hosted by the British Simmental Cattle Society in the United Kingdom in 2026.   In a further comment, Chris Martindale went on to say:

“I am extremely honoured to have been elected as President of one of the UK’s leading beef breed societies. As a Society we’ll continue to work hard and take dead aim at promoting the Simmental’s abilities, to grow the breed across the UK markets. We’re excited to have been awarded the World Congress in 2026, and it will provide a terrific platform for us to showcase the breed to a widespread audience, both domestically and internationally.”

Michael Durno who runs the Auchorachan pedigree herd at Glenlivet, Ballandalloch, Banffshire has been elected as the British Simmental Cattle Society’s Vice President.