November 21, 2023 Key Appointment for the British Charolais Cattle Society

Appointment of highly respected industry figure in newly created position for the next stage of the Charolais breed development

Bringing with her an in-depth knowledge of the pedigree cattle sector, Siân Sharp has been appointed Breed Liaison Officer, a brand-new role within the British Charolais Cattle Society (BCCS). In her newly created position Siân will become the face of the BCCS, working closely with the BCCS Council to initiate a strategy to take the Charolais breed to the next stage of its development, and liaising between the Society’s office, members, and key industry figures.

Joining the BCCS from the Salers Cattle Society of the UK where she served as Breed Secretary for nearly four years, and prior to that Breed Secretary for the Highland Cattle Society, Siân brings to her new role, extensive experience of working within the pedigree livestock field.

Well known and highly regarded across the British cattle breeding sectors, she has cattle in her DNA, and hands on, practical experience of the agricultural industry. Until 2017 she bred pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle alongside her father David Lucas at Cheeklaw Farm, near Duns in the Scottish Borders, and she was a council member of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society (AACS) council, participating in the health, technical, youth development and marketing committees.

BCCS Chairman, Andrew Sellick says this appointment is a significant landmark in the Society’s recent progress. “The BCCS and its members have been working tirelessly over the past few years to improve the breed and its performance, and we’re delighted that Siân has joined us to help take the British Charolais to the next level. We have previously worked closely with Siân for our Charolais X Salers joint herd tours in 2022, and we’re looking forward very much to continuing to promote the case for the Charolais with her innovative ideas and expertise.”

Siân will split her time between the BCCS office in Stoneleigh, her home near Duns in the Scottish Borders, attending shows, events and sales, and meeting members and commercial breeders. Her aim is to give a clear identity for the breed, and to develop relationships with breeders and the wider commercial markets.

“I am delighted and excited to take up what I know is a huge and challenging role and build on the Society’s success in recent years. I will be working very closely with the Board to understand the priorities for members and continue on their hard work, taking the Charolais breed forward and into the future, and ensure it is fit to meet the challenges of the current and future suckler market.”

Siân’s primary aim is to establish the reputation of the Charolais as the number one terminal sire both commercially and environmentally. “As someone once told me, three weeks in the life of a Charolais calf is a very long time, and Charolais breeders have raised the performance and profile of the breed enormously in terms of conversion, efficiency, and days to slaughter.

“My role is to promote this message to wider markets, but also to raise awareness of the advantages the Charolais brings in the crucial areas of costs and carbon.  In tomorrow’s livestock   world, these will be increasingly important benefits the British Charolais can offer as the leading terminal sire, not just for improving commercial performance but also for reducing environmental impact.”

Established in 1962, the British Charolais Cattle Society (BCCS) has worked tirelessly to make the case that ‘no bull works harder for the farmer, the plate, and the planet’, working with breeders to improve ease of calving and enhance the Charolais characteristics of high conversion rates and weight gain, and making the British Charolais recognisably distinct from the Charolais cattle bred in other parts of the world.

Over the past decade, Charolais bulls have come to dominate the British beef breeders’ choice of commercial terminal sire, with an unbeatable record of crossing into profit, producing unrivalled growth rates, outstanding carcass quality and exceptional killing out percentages.