19 Mar 2025
AGM and Conference held at Reading University
25 members attended the club AGM and conference.
We were privileged to be addressed by Peter May. Peter was the first vet in the UK to treat repeat breeder cows with embryos and to offer bovine foetal sex determination to clients. Peter now works independently but retains a close working relationship with Drove Vets. He is also a partner in ACTIVF ET. Peter undertakes routine fertility work locally, along with Embryo Transfer (ET) and In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) further afield. Peter also conducts ET and IVF scanning training both in the UK and abroad. He gave us a great insight into his work, accompanied by some fascinating videos of his work, which showed in detail how he can extract eggs from the donor and transfer them to another cow.
Following lunch the AGM was held. The fulll minutes are attached
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Reading University at 2.30 pm on Wednesday 19th March.
Apologies for Absence: Andrew Carter, Simon Maiklem, Michael Poland & Simon Cannings.
Present: 20 members of the club
Minutes from 2024 AGM: The minutes of the 2024 AGM had been circulated in advance. The secretary asked for any comments and there being none the Chairman duly signed the minutes
Matters Arising; There were no matters Arising
Financial Report: As of 31.12.24, there was £7752.49 in the Current Account & a further £625.19 in the Premium Account. Expenditure for the year was fairly low at around £550, mainly owing to there being no Herd Competition in 2024. The expenditure was mainly made up of the secretary's expenses, some website running costs and development costs and some show sponsorship. The secretary said he would prefer to prepare future management figures on a cash basis.
Chairman’s Report: This was presented by Tom Beadle. Tom reviewed the Club's activities during the year, which included a very interesting visit to the Warrenho Herd which was followed by an excellent BBQ and drinks provided by Rob and Rachel Bishop. Later we visited the Wanborough Plain Herd belonging to the secretary & the Shefford Herd belonging to Paul Carter. Tom also drew attention to the fact that Drumhill Kristoffe, which sold at Carlisle in February for 28000 guineas, was sired by a bull belonging to John O’Hara.
Secretary’s Report: It was reported that the Club had lost 1 member, the Aldham Herd belonging to Catherine and Adam Scott who have retired.
The club has 4 new members: Aynho Herd, Harewood Herd, Stockbridge Herd, and Aldbourne Chase Estate.
There will be a Herd competition this year, and Owen Tunney has agreed to judge. Owen will be judging as his schedule permits through July and August. Members were encouraged to get their names down quickly. There was a discussion about limiting the number of entrants to not make the judging too daunting. It was decided to see how this year goes before making any decisions.
The Club plans to tour the Highland herds in Scotland between Thursday 4th and Sunday 7th September based in Inverness. Early booking was advised to ensure the cost of flights and accommodation don’t become prohibitively expensive.
Election of Club Officers and Committee: The secretary asked if anyone wished to join the committee. There were no requests and therefore it was agreed the existing committee will continue. Tom Beadle will continue as Chairman for 1 more year with Matt Stoker as Vice Chairman.
Future Events: As well as the Herd Competition which will be judged in July & August, Rooksnest has kindly agreed to host a Herd Walk on 7th May. In October, Aldbourne Chase Estate offered to host a Herd Walk which, it was suggested, would be combined with a Herd Competition lunch where the prizes could be presented
A.O.B.: There being no further business the meeting was closed.
C Hood
21.03.25