The 30th EHRC (European Holstein and Red Holstein Confederation) Conference was held on 25, 26 and 27 September 2014 in Gijón, Spain. The French representatives then had the 2016 European championship programme validated: A 3-day programme that makes this edition quite different from the previous ones.
The European championship will be held on 17, 18 and 19 June 2016 at the Exhibition Centre in Colmar, Alsace. The French delegation proposed to have this event take place over 3 days, the objective being to create a balanced event, always focused on the prestigious animal competition, but also logically involving ancillary activities.
Thus the Red Holstein competition will be held on Friday 17 June, 2016, shortly after the opening ceremony. The Holstein competition will take place the following day, on Saturday 18 June. In addition to the main competition, other events will be organized: on Friday morning the clipping competition, on Friday evening the European sale and on Saturday morning the showmanship. The animals will leave on Sunday.
« This new organization is the outcome of the discussions and exchanges we have had with our European counterparts for months. We appreciate the trust they have placed in our project and our programme. Now is the time for us to carry out our work in France and abroad, communicating on our ambitions for this event while involving the whole French industry in it »; said Bruno Béchet, president of the Colmar Holstein 2016 Association.
From now on, it is up to the French breeders to make the event memorable for Prim’Holstein.
Genesis of the European championship
In 1989 in Paris, France organized the first European breeders’ meeting that was to later become the European championship. It was then more of an animal exhibition. 6 countries participated in the event: Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands
and West Germany. And they entered their best animals, cows and heifers for the “General Agricultural Competition”. This first event aimed at presenting the genetic level, the production and the economic performance of the breed in
each country.
As the French organization hoped, the event evolved and eventually grew into what is now known as the European championship. The number of represented countries, the number of animals in competition, the coat colour, the production, the morphology etc. are criteria that have evolved and were added with each edition.
The Holstein European Championship is now a full-fledged event, a renowned competition, organized in turn by the EHRC member states. France has excelled on several occasions. In 1996 in Brussels, the French group won the European championship. In 2000, Nuée (Fatal) became Junior champion. Then in 2006, not only did the French group once again win the European championship, but Ninon (Dombinator), became Senior champion. In 2013, the event was held in Switzerland, in the town of Fribourg. 16 country delegations, including France, attended the championship.
Ambitions and objectives of the championship
The European championship plays a major role in promoting the Holstein breed
in Europe and around the world. It allows all participating countries to present the
fruit of their excellent work in the best of conditions.
Beyond the show itself, the championship is an opportunity for bringing out the
work done by the EHRC member countries and their institutions to harmonize the
information exchange system, the work methods and the genetic progress.
To professionals, this general public event symbolizes the constant commonality
of Holstein-related knowledge and skills between the EHRC members.
The European championship logically fits into the work undertaken by the
European Confederation and its member states.