- £60,000 Returned to Members in De-registrations
- £37,000 Health Initiative Refund
The British Limousin Cattle Society (BLCS) is returning almost £100,000 to its members in two breed improvement incentives. This comprises of just over £60,000 in the breed improvement refund incentive, and over £37,000 in a herd health initiative.
In the 2012 financial year, £60,685, up £4,000 on the year, was paid back to British Limousin breeders in pedigree refunds. A long-established breed improvement tool, the monies-back-incentive allows breeders to assess the quality of the stock they have registered up to the age of 450 days. If the breeder chooses to de-register the animal before it has attained this age, a flat rate refund of £20+VAT is returned. Commenting on the figures, BLCS Vice Chairman Stephen Illingworth said: “Over the last ten years, this scheme has seen the Society return around £600,000 to breeders. This is a significant investment and is indicative of the Society’s on-going intent to encourage breeders to be selective for the goal of overall breed improvement in the national British Limousin Herdbook.”
£37,032 is also being refunded to members through its Herd Health Initiative. The cash-back scheme, based on £4+VAT for each calf registered in the past year, financially supports breeders who are making the long-term investment into herd health assurance through being a member of a CHeCS-approved health scheme. To receive the financial support, herds need to adhere to the terms of a CHeCS licenced scheme and have an approved animal health scheme in place through Cattle Health Certification Standards (CHeCS), the self-regulatory body for cattle health schemes in the UK & Ireland. This must include a whole herd test for Johne’s disease.
In 2012, 328 herds made a claim on behalf of 9,258 calves registered in the year – up by 6% – meaning 47% of all pedigree Limousin calves are now born within herd health schemes. The Society began its health initiatve refunds in 2005 and has, to date, refunded over £140,000 back to members. Over the intervening years, uptake in health scheme membership has increased markedly with momentum further driven by the health rules regarding Johne’s and BVD which were introduced at Premier BLCS Collective Sales from 1st May 2011.
From its position as the UK’s most numerical breed, Limousins have very much been a driver behind the uptake in health scheme membership and this has been welcomed by both breeders and commercial customers. Commenting, BLCS Development Manager Richard Saunders said: “In both the pedigree and commercial sectors, breeders and commercial customers are able to invest with greater confidence in health-assured stock. This industry-wide approach helps improve productivity and ultimately profit at every level.”
