Thousands of people expected to descend on Bakewell to attend the British beef industry’s major annual event, showcasing the finest of British Cattle and highlighting the diversity of British Beef to consumers.

Bringing together the very best British pedigree and commercial cattle, NBA Beef Expo 2016 will showcase the evolving industry, advances in technology and focus on how producers can modernise production to meet ever changing consumer demands.

Returning to Derbyshire for the first time in 15 years, NBA Beef Expo will take place at The Agricultural Business Centre, home of Bakewell Mart on Friday 20th May.  Beef Expo is a nucleus for knowledge sharing and breeding expertise, whilst representing what the industry has to offer in terms of new developments and celebrating the work of beef farmers across the UK.

Featuring herds from Chatsworth and Haddon Hall Estates, the farm tours on Thursday 19th May, will give people the opportunity to see how two of the leading estates in the county integrate beef farming into their overall enterprise.

A third farm tour will take place at Hopping Farm, where Simon Frost’s enterprise is founded upon a number-driven, science-based, market-orientated strategy.  A former Farmer’s Weekly Beef Focus Farmer, Simon breeds his herd of 150 Black Limousin cross suckler cows, including heifers, to easy calving, high index Charolais bulls.

Part of the Expo on Friday 20th May is the National Spring Spectacular Show (NSSS), which has attracted from the length and breadth of the UK over 120 cattle in 12 classes. This is a true showcase of the very best of British cattle. The NSSS includes classes for Native, Continental, British Blue, Limousin-sired heifers and steers, baby beef classes, and two young handlers’ classes, all highlighting the first-class quality of British beef.

Two highly successful beef industry stalwarts, renowned for their pedigree and commercial cattle, have been invited to judge at the NSSS.  Phil Sellers from Lincoln will judge the Native and Continental classes together with the Supreme championships whilst the Baby Beef classes, Baby championship and Young Handlers will be judged by Christine Williams from Shropshire.

As part of the event, NBA will be hosting a range of seminars and workshops held by various industry professionals.  Kicking off the morning will be an hour long seminar on TB issues with Defra vets.  Chaired by Bill Harper, Chairman of the NBA TB Committee, there will be the opportunity for questions and answer session at the end.  This will be followed by a seminar on BVD with Derbyshire vet, James Russell.  James, a director at McMurtry and Harding, will update delegates on the national BVD free strategy for England of which he sits on the expert group.

Cattle handling drop in workshops will take place throughout the day with Miriam Parker, whose expertise centres on training and technology transfer projects to improve animal handling and slaughter methods.  This will also feature short video clips of different handling systems on farms, produced with Miriam and AHDB Beef & Lamb.

A specific area of the event has been dedicated to the beef from the dairy herd and organic beef with live demonstrations of cattle and associated companies and organisations involved in these sectors.

With a growing focus on health and welfare, and an expanding market in both supermarkets and independent markets, demand for organic production is somewhat snowballing. The Soil Association will give a talk on organic beef production, which will focus on market and supply opportunities.  Also included will be details on the market, a farming case study and information on countryside stewardship.

Highlighting the importance of the event, Alastair Sneddon, Managing Partner at Bagshaws and Chairman of the 2016 NBA Beef Expo said: “We are delighted to be hosting this year’s Beef Expo in the heart of the Peak District National Park, and we are expecting to see a fantastic line-up of classes showcasing the very best of pedigree and commercial cattle.  This event is a true celebration of British Beef and this year we have a very strong commercial focus, introducing a consumer element so we hope to attract a range of audiences to Bakewell.

“The Agricultural Business Centre is in the centre of town so we are really looking to generate a strong community response to the event. A vital part of our mission for the NBA is educating the consumer so by hosting the event at Bakewell we hope to encourage members of the public to come along and see what the beef industry is all about.”

For the second year running, NBA Beef Expo will hold a unique contest aimed at testing the skills knowledge and abilities of teams and individual young beef farmers.  The Future Beef Farmer Challenge was launched in 2015 and was the first of its kind in the UK.  This year the NBA are encouraging beef farmers aged 36 and under to take part either as a team or individually.  This contest underlines the tremendous calibre of forward thinking, young beef farmers across the UK and is this year will run in association with AHDB Beef and Lamb, Carrs Billington, XL Vets and Derbyshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.

In addition to this, NBA has introduced The Story of British Beef, a major consumer showcase to their 2016 programme.  British beef is the best in the world, with farmers producing high-welfare, high-quality meat that is fully traceable, but as consumers, we’re not making the most of this fantastic food.

Shoppers tend to stick to what they know and The Story of British Beef brings together beef producers, local butchers and the University of Derby to tell the tale of this fantastic British product. The story starts of course on the farm, Visitors will be able to see examples of a beef cow and calf, a store animal ready to go to market and a full matured animal, and learn about how they are cared for. This is followed by butchery demonstrations which will be carried out by multi award-winning Derbyshire butcher, John Mettrick.  John, who is one of only 10 Master Butchers in the UK, has also been named Britain's Best Butcher, Britain's Top Shop National Winner and Best Online Butcher, so he certainly knows his beef. From the different cuts of beef John will produce, Chef’s from the University of Derby will then then present cookery demonstrations with tastings for visitors.

Chris Mallon, NBA Chief Executive said: “The Story of British Beef is a new element for Beef Expo in 2016. This is the biggest beef event in Britain and it’s only right that we use opportunities like this to give consumers information about where their beef comes from, and the skills and dedication of all those involved in its delivery to consumers including farmers, butchers and chefs.”

20 Breed Societies will be displaying the very best in pedigree and commercial beef breeding stock and over 140 commercial and educational stands will be providing the latest information on genetics, breeding, nutrition and the industry’s latest technical developments. This annual event is kindly supported by mainline sponsors; Caltech, Dunbia and AHDB Beef & Lamb, as well as Derbyshire Dales DC, Bagshaws and Bakewell Show.

Further detailed information on the event is available from the website www.beefexpo.co.uk. Tickets for the event, farm tour and dinner can be booked online or by contacting organiser Euan Emslie Tel: 01430 441870 Email euan@nationalbeefassociation.com