A breeder has been elected president of a national cattle society.

Chris Martindale, who lives in St Martins, near Oswestry, has been elected as president of the British Simmental Cattle Society (BSCS) at the society's annual general meeting.

The meeting was held recently in Stirling, Scotland, at the October Bull Sales.

Having served as a council member since 2021, Mr Martindale takes over from Norman Robson, of Kilbride Farm, Ballyclare, who had served as president for a two-year term.

Mr Martindale, who had been the society’s vice-president and chairman of finance, also over the previous two years, becomes the 28th chairman of the BSCS in its 54-year history, and the tenth from England.

Mr Martindale, along with his wife Kath, joined the BSCS in 1990.

Their Forsdale Herd, based at Coedfa, in St Martins, was established after they privately purchased two cows with calves at foot from the dispersal sale of the Boscobel Herd of Mrs EP Yates, of Codsall Wood, Wolverhampton.

Now the herd comprises 12 pedigree cows and aligns with Mr Martindale’s role as the sales manager for Lloyd’s Animal Feeds, a company he has served for 33 years.

BSCS President Chris Martindale (right), and BSCS Vice President Michael Durno (left), make a presentation to Immediate Past President Norman Robson, to mark his two years in office (Image: Supplied) Mr Martindale said: "I am extremely honoured to have been elected as president of one of the UK’s leading beef breed societies.

"As a society, we’ll continue to work hard and take dead aim at promoting the Simmental’s abilities, to grow the breed across the UK markets."

A significant momentum behind the Simmental breed has seen an uplift in commercial demand, a series of record sale averages, and increased pedigree registrations for three consecutive years.

Commenting on this, Mr Martindale said: "In a focused industry, commercial producers need high performing, benchmark maternal traits as the long-term foundation to build their suckler herds upon.

"There’s an increasing recognition that modern Simmental genetics give you that and more.

"Easy calving, easy managed, full of milk, calving year on year, producing quality female replacements, and fleshy, growthy calves.

"The analysis of AHDB’s figures proves the performance of Simmental females, both pure and when crossed with any breed.

"Add in the further terminal advantages proven in age at slaughter and daily carcass gain, and it adds up to real money and performance for producers."

A further focus of the next two years will be preparing for the 25th World Simmental Congress, with it recently being announced that this will be hosted by the British Simmental Cattle Society in the United Kingdom in 2026.

"We’re excited to have been awarded the World Congress in 2026, and it will provide a terrific platform for us to showcase the breed to a widespread audience, both domestically and internationally," said Mr Martindale.

In recent years, the Martindale's Forsdale Herd has gone down the polled route, again with an increasing emphasis on ease of management, and with the calves from their latest heterozygous polled stock bull, Wroxall Nescafe (P), eagerly awaited in the spring.

The Forsdale Herd has met with much success, showing females at Newport, Oswestry, and Denbeigh shows.

Bulls are sold from the farm and to a repeat customer base.

A noted pedigree judge, Mr Martindale has judged all over the country and at major shows, including the Royal Highland, Royal Welsh, and the Simmental World Congress show held within the Royal Norfolk in 2008.