'Farming and genetics – let's inspire the next generation' is the theme for the 2018 British Cattle Breeders’ Conference.

The 2018 conference will focus on practical cattle breeding in its celebration of the club's 70th anniversary and will be held at the Telford Hotel and Golf Resort, Shropshire from January 22-24.

Alison Glasgow, BLCS technical manager, will present ‘Genomics in beef – adding value in the supply chain’ to demonstrate how, in meeting the 10-year plan for breed improvement, the society and its members are fully engaged in a range of research and design initiatives. The audience will hear how genomic breeding values for Limousin cattle are being introduced for carcase traits, female fertility and calf survival traits and the wider plans relating to feed intake, animal health and meat quality.

BLCS chief executive Iain Kerr said: “This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase these ‘firsts’ for the UK beef industry to a wide range of delegates. The society takes every opportunity to demonstrate that the value they can add to the supply chain is tangible and real. Alison’s presentation will outline progress made, some findings along the way and the beef industry’s opportunity to add significant value by exploiting genetic resources at an increased level.”

Ms Glasgow said: “I am delighted to have been asked to speak at the upcoming British Cattle Breeders Conference in January 2018. Limousin is the only beef breed delivering genomic breeding values that enable UK producers to trap additional value from their cattle and this programme is designed to highlight such leading edge technology.”