MORE than 250 cattle enthusiasts from all over the world attended the opening of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau conference yesterday.
The delegates have a busy week planned for them and will be visiting dairy farms, Durrell and Mont Orgueil as they tour the home of the celebrated Jersey cow.
Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society president Stephen Le Feuvre introduced the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, who was at the Hotel de France to open the event, and welcomed the 268 delegates to the place where it all began for the breed.
‘I hope that this will be the trip of a lifetime for many of you,’ he said. ‘I want you to take away fond memories of our beautiful Island and the wonderful people you meet during your time here. The main reason we are here is to celebrate the excellence of the Jersey cow, which is dear to all our hearts. We are here to learn about her and the advantages that she has over other dairy breeds. The theme of this conference is “Jerseys Without Borders”.’
Sir Philip also gave a short background of Jersey’s status as a Crown dependency and the personality of the Island. ‘Jersey people are conservative by nature, loyal to their leaders, and, being Islanders, fiercely independent and stubborn,’ he said.
And he spoke of the ‘institution’ which is the Jersey cow. ‘For us in this Island, she is, of course, more than just a producer of milk,’ he said. ‘She is an icon and part of our living heritage. In 2001, I had the honour of unveiling a group of sculptures of a bull, two cows and a heifer at West’s Centre which is arguably the most popular sculpture in the Island.’
Mentioning the bull semen debate which has split the dairy industry, Sir Philip advised caution before a decision is made on whether to remove a ban on semen imports. ‘It would be prudent to make haste slowly in overturning a prohibition which has endured for more than two centuries,’ he said.
‘What is important is the long-term viability and success of the industry. I hope that you manage collectively to deploy the great wisdom and knowledge assembled here for the good of the breed and perhaps for the good of the planet too.’
The World Jersey Cattle Bureau Conference is the largest event in the calendar for breed enthusiasts. It is held every three years in a different country and was last held in Jersey in 1979.
During their stay, delegates will have the chance to visit Lodge Farm, La Ferme Farm and Blanc Pignon and will finish at the Foire de Jersey on Saturday, where there will be a cattle show.
The delegates hail from 24 different countries and have come from places including Australia, America, Canada, New Zealand and Denmark to tour the birthplace of Jersey’s most successful export.
*AN enthusiast of the Jersey cow and of the Island itself is Russell Gammon, from Canada, a senior vice-president of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau. He has written an amusing and insightful blog about his thoughts before and on arrival in the Island. It can be found at www.thisisjersey.com/cattleconference.
