The Holstein European Championship will welcome two talented and ambitious Holstein Young Breeders who have been selected to represent Holstein UK as part of the Youth Team.
The prestigious competition in Libramont, Belgium takes place on April 12 and 13 and is held every three years with 19 countries represented.
In addition to more than 250 cows and 200 exhibitors, the event will also combine exchanges, meetings, innovative products and services for breeders and professionals worldwide.
The event is organised by the Fair of Libramont with the technical support of the Walloon Association of the Breeding (AWE).
It aims to promote and sustain international breeding making it a highly anticipated diary date for international breeders.
Meet the Youth Team
Robert Morley from Border & Lakeland HYB Club will join the team as the junior competitor.
Robert has been involved with HYB since he can remember and started going to All-Britain All Breeds Calf Show (ABAB) and competing from the age of 13.
He is currently studying for A-levels and plans to study for a degree in Agriculture. When he’s not in school, Robert works behind the bar of the local pub and on the family farm which has 200 pedigree Holstein cows with 100 followers under the Petteril prefix.
The herd averages 10,800L and in 2018 was awarded Master Breeder status. Robert has represented Holstein UK at the 2016 Cremona Open Junior Show. Winning the overall stock judging was his standout moment.
He has also won the senior showmanship and reserve champion at the 2018 ABAB Calf Show. Being part of the Youth Team at Libramont will enable Robert to further his knowledge of clipping, showmanship and preparing show cattle.
He is also looking forward to meeting new friends, learning from Europe’s best and seeing some of the highest quality Holstein cattle in the world at the European Championships.
Jonny Woodhouse from Lancashire HYB Club (pictured top) will be the team’s senior competitor.
21-year-old Jonny has been an HYB member for eight years and works on the family farm, prefix Shoreline, in Cumbria.
The herd comprises of 100 cows averaging 33kg milked twice a day. All cows and heifers are served with sexed semen, with surplus heifers sold and the bottom animals go for beef.
In November 2018, the herd was classified with 20 Excellent cows and 51 VGs – something Jonny wants to keep building on.
Notable achievements for Jonny include winning overall Honourable Mention at the ABAB National Calf Show on two occasions with homebred calves, and winning the clipping competition at both the HYB Weekend Rally and the 2016 European championships in Colmar.
The judges for the Young Breeders Competition casting their professional eye over competitors from 19 countries will be Michael Halliwell (UK) and Cord Horman (Germany).
Hannah Williams, head of events and marketing for Holstein UK, said: “We are delighted to have such amazing talent amongst the Holstein Young Breeders movement and being in a position to select two individuals to represent the society at this prestigious event.
“Robert and Jonny have excelled across all areas of HYB throughout recent events and are a credit to Holstein Young Breeders.
“We wish them all the very best of luck in the competition and Holstein UK will be sharing team updates and results on the social media platforms whilst they are competing at Libramont.”
