Holstein UK has today reluctantly announced that it is unable to take a team of cattle to the 2013 European Holstein Show being held in Fribourg, Switzerland on Saturday 2nd March.
Greg Watson, Executive Director of Holstein UK, has been vigorously pursuing a clarification from the European Union on their regulations for cattle movement between member states but that has not been forthcoming and the Swiss organisers have made the decision to proceed with the arrangements without the UK team.
“This is a very sad day for the UK Holstein industry”, said Mr Watson, “especially for those breeders who have submitted animals for consideration. I have invested a great deal of time in this project and am bitterly disappointed with the outcome”, he continued.
The sticking point has been the need to quarantine animals for 30 days prior to them returning home. Holstein UK has been seeking permission for this to take place back in the UK, but Defra interpretation of EU rules is that quarantine needs to take place in a third country. The financial and logistical issues this raises would place an unacceptable burden on Holstein UK. Press Release from Holstein UK http://ukcows.com
The list of 15 countries that will be sending delegations minus the UK Team can be found on the European National Show website here
The rules for the National Show State as found on their website state that each country can participate with a max of 30 cows & a minimum of 4, or a maximum of 15 per breed. (BW & RW)
Each country must make their selections by January 25, 2013