Scotland's Beef Event 2015 Set to Attract Huge Attendance

The first national beef event organised by the Scottish Beef Association is set to attract a huge attendance of beef farmers from throughout Scotland and further afield to Mains of Mause, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, on Wednesday, May 27.

The theme of Scotland’s Beef Event 2015, which has Clydesdale Bank as main sponsor, is Beef From the Hills and the venue is one of Scotland’s most renowned commercial beef and sheep farms with a suckler herd of 1000 Limousin cross cows and 2000 Blackface and Scotch Mule ewes, run over four units.

Host farmers, Peter and Pat Alexander, and son, Murray, are recognised for the first class management of their highly productive livestock enterprise and willingness to adopt innovation and new technology.

The aim of the event is to demonstrate all the latest technologies for sustainable beef production against the background of reduced support for beef production as a result of CAP reforms.

“Beef prices are under pressure and the emphasis is moving relentlessly towards technical efficiency,” said SBA chairman, Scott Henderson. “Beef producers need to take a long, hard honest look at their costs and performance of their cattle.”

Event chairman, Robert McNee, said Mains of Mause ticked all the boxes on issues beef producers needed to address.

“Reducing production costs and maximising returns from the market is the key to the future for all beef producers,” he said.

“The opportunity of viewing the stock at Mains of Mause with its reputation for the production of high quality cattle and sheep will be a major attraction for many livestock farmers.”

Features of the event will include a farm tour by tractor and trailer with grassland management and winter feeding likely to be issues of major interest.

Recent innovations on the farm include the introduction of AI, selection of breeding heifers on the basis of pelvic size and the adoption of radio technology to determine optimum time of service and give advance warning of calving.

“The aim is to achieve a higher percentage of calves born from cows and heifers put to the bull,” said Mr Alexander.

The event will be officially opened at 10.30am by Ian Galloway, chairman of Scotbeef, and other features of the day will include 100 trade stands, 16 breed society exhibits, demonstrations on electric fencing and bull selection, a seminar and auction sale of 350 Limousin cross cattle from the farm which is scheduled to start at 4.00p.m.

Mains of Mause was the venue for NSA Scotsheep in 2002 and in recent years has hosted the International Limousin congress and the annual British Grassland Society tour.