International Norbreck Exports
Norbreck Exports work with Poland's "British Pedigree Export Group"
 In the summer of 2007, Simon Gill from AgroIrlandia, Warsaw bought a 22 month old Hereford bull from J R B Wilson and Sons, Cowbog, Kelso. The plan was for Norbreck Exports to organise transport.
It doesn't normally take Norbreck Exports 7 months to organise transport, but on this occasion, export was thwarted by the FMD and BTV export restrictions.
Plans for this Hereford include gifting semen to farmers who rent dairy cows from AgroIrlandia, with the calves providing a better quality of beef than farmers can currently produce from current sires. They hope to have in excecss of 300 calves in the first year.
Simon Gill formed Polish buying Club
"We formed a "Club" as the "British Pedigree Export Group", and as Henry Lewis and Rob Wills from BLG have been saying for years, now is the time to re-establish the UK as the Stockyard of the World.....
"As well as a Hereford I also took delivery of a South Devon bull called Brafferton Trooper, a Galloway bull called Braquhill Black Prince and fifteen pedigree Galloway Heifers (four in-calf).
Our transport was organised by Eggsport and Norbreck Exports.
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Norbreck Exports send more Limousins to Poland
We are very pleased to have sent a fruther two Limousin Bulls for Top Farms in southern Poland and the first ever pedigree Charolais bull to North East Poland. (See full story below).
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Norbreck Exports facilitate a new record as Charolais' hit Poland
It was a historic moment as 16 month old Goldies Bonanza left Ruthwell, Dumfries for Warsaw last week following a private deal facilitated by Norbreck Exports. Bonanza is the first Charolais bull to be exported to Poland.
“We are really pleased to be involved in the first exportation of a live Charolais bull to Poland, and we trust the breed will impact on the country’s beef sector, as it has in the UK,” said Mr Goldie who clinched his the first ever export deal since taking over the family’s herd a year ago.
The purchasers, Rafel and Izabela Kapica own Uniagro, a 1750ha mixed unit based at Mazurowo, near Warsaw. They plan to run Bonanza with their 80 cow suckler herd which they plan to expand to 300 cows running alongside a 350 cow dairy herd.
“Rafel Kapica was aware of British Charolais’ superior growth rates, together with the herdbook’s depth of pedigrees. Purchasing British Charolais was a natural decision for Rafel" explained Philip Halhead from Norbreck Exports’.
“Bonanza was chosen for his all round exceptional conformation, ease of calving and good locomotion,” explains Mr Goldie. “He was also accompanied by a superb blend of genetics.” Bonanza was the first son of Newroddige Venture, Royal Show Junior champion and 10,000gns Perth reserve intermediate champion.
“This bull is following in the foot steps of both his sire and maternal grandsire whose semen has already been exported to Australia and Mexico.”
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Partnership sees 54 Holstein heifers exported to Spain
Mid February saw Norbreck Exports finalising the  delivery of 54 Holstein heifers to Spain.
The project was in partnership with Livestock International who have been working closely with Helen Wilson at Norbreck Exports to ensure safe, regulation compliant delivery to Spain. Paul Westaway from Livestock International said:
"We are delighted to beworking with a professional company like Norbreck Exports - it makes facilitating export of cattle much easier".
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6th European Aberdeen Angus Forum
The Forum is being hosted by the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society who will welcome over 60 Aberdeen-Angus breeders from the Continent. Visitors will be present from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Austria and the Irish Republic as well as the UK.
Official delegates will be attending a technical meeting of the European Aberdeen-Angus Secretariat in the Centenary Suite at McDiarmid Park on Friday 1st February. Speakers will include Philip Halhead, Norbreck Exports Ltd, who will be discussing export protocols, Nigel Otter of Merial Animal Health, who will make a presentation on genetic marker technology, and the Society’s immediate past-president, Nigel Hammill, who will update delegates on the situation with bluetongue disease in the UK.
Norbreck Exports sees potential in Russia
Norbreck Genetics joined the UK delegation attending the AgroFarm Livestock Exhibition in Moscow at the end of June and has already found several willing partners. It provided an outstanding platform for presenting the benefits and quality of UK livestock and services and Norbreck Exports had interest in a variety of breeds including strong enquiries for Hereford cattle as well as for dairy heifers.
"There is phenominal potential for the export of livestock to Russia and we have already made excellent contacts with 4 or 5 top quality agents and business partners. The issues of animal health certificates still needs sorting, hopefully, the UK delegation can help push things forward." Phil Halhead, Norbreck Exports
 
Whilst the Russian President has initiated moves to draft a federal programme for the development of beef farming in the Russian Federation it is the Animal Health Certification that still stands in the way. It is anticiapted that embryo exports will be the first route to export, with the movement of livestock following on. "It will not be a quick process, but if we can push the certification we might see exports in the next year or so.
There is a huge willingness from livestock farmers in the CIS States to invest - although agreement on an International Animal Health Certificate which will allow live cattle trading between Russia and the UK has still to be agreed. This is something that the delegates hope to move forward now they are back in the UK. ---------------------
Directory of headline stories:
June News
First Blondes take a trip to Poland
First British Charolais Shipped to Poland
May News
International Enquiries flood in at Beef Expo 07
April News
Export enquiries grow for beef and dairy breeds
Limousins set sail for Poland
15th June News - Developing the Russian market
Norbreck Genetics join UK delegation attending the AgroFarm Livestock Exhibition in Moscow on June 19-21. AgroFarm 2007 is the major International Exhibition for Animal husbandry and Breeding in Russia and will provide an outstanding platform for presenting the benefits and quality of UK livestock and services. Initiated by the Russian President, moves are underway to draft a federal programme for the development of beef farming in the Russian Federation in the period up to 2012.
Already substantial enquiries has been received from Russia for large volumes of UK livestock, mainly dairy and beef breeding heifers and there is a huge willingness from livestock farmers in the CIS States to invest - although agreement on an International Animal Health Certificate which will allow live cattle trading between Russia and the UK has still to be agreed. This is something that the delegates hope to move forward, and at the same time, they aim to promote the benefits and quality of UK livestock and establish key business contacts.
Other UK delegates include representatives from the UK Hereford Association, the UK Highland Cattle Society, Cattle Genetics UK, Agri-Connect and WKD Consulting, the Northern Ireland Limousin and Aberdeen Angus Societies and the NI Suffolk and Isle de France Sheep Societies, LMC, Defra, BPA, MLC and the NBA.
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12th June - First Blondes make their way to Poland
During the past few weeks an exiting development has come to British Blonde breeders who’ve just seen some of the breeds best bloodlines get exported into Poland.
There seems to be an almost insatiable demand for heifers from the newly joined EU countries keen to improve on the genetic base that they have in their country and this landmark achievement resulted in 15 heifers being exported to Poland. It was facilitated by Phil Halhead of Norbreck Exports who’ve been at the forefront of exporting cattle genetics to Europe over the past 18 months.
Phil Halhead added “The export of heifers has been based on the back of extended negotiations between ourselves and the extended contacts that we have in Poland. Norbreck Exports is now the UK’s largest export facilitator and we deal with the top Polish cattlemen. The cattlemen in Poland are keen to get their hands on the best genetics possible and the British Blondes fit the bill nicely,”
This is a landmark achievement for the breed and comprised of 15 maiden heifers from two of the countries leading herds, twelve from David Knight’s Doncombe herd at Bristol and three from Messrs C & R Kinnish’s Kinaston herd at Bridgnorth. The heifers have now arrived at Robat Biuro’s farm at Handlu, Zagranicznego.
David Knight’s heifers were sired by their two senior stock bulls - Druk Lance and Druk Thor. The Kinaston heifers were sired by the homebred sire Kinaston Utan. There have been many positive enquiries from throughout the world on the availability of British Blonde genetics be it embryos or semen and live animals.
“I am thrilled to be part of this exiting development for the breed and am absolutely confident that the quality of heifers exported will secure further orders for British Blondes,” said David Knight.
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7th June News - The first British Charolais shipped to Poland
The first consignment of British Charolais to Poland was made this week with a shipment of 27, 12 month old heifers from the Morris family’s 230 cow pedigree Dorcas herd based at Easington, Aylesbury. This is yet another deal organised by Phil Halead of Norbreck Genetics for Top Farms near Krakow.
Pictured above: George and John Morris with the heifers before departure
The heifers are a mix of Blelack Topgun, Maerdy Ozone and Mowbraypark Stirling daughters selected for their uniform conformation, good locomotion and maternal traits – each had been bred from lines selected for ease of calving and milkiness. They travelled to Top Farms which is a 26,000 ha operation based near Krakow. Here a new pedigree Charolais herd is being established to run alongside a commercial suckler herd and a 2,500 pedigree Holstein cows.
“Exporting stock is a new and exciting venture for us after supplying the UK market with heifer replacements,” explained George Morris who manages the pedigree Charolais herd with his wife, Claire and parents, John and Rosemary.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this vast new market opening up for British Charolais genetics in Eastern Europe and beyond, both for live animals and embryos.”
Phil Halhead added: “Following various trade missions to Poland with British Charolais Cattle Society representatives in the last 12 months, we were pleased to facilitate this very first exportation of the breed to Poland. A number of Charolais bulls are scheduled to follow shortly, along with further heifer consignments.”
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May news - International enquiries flood in at Beef Expo 2007
The Beef Expo 07 event was held at Skipton and attracted a large number of International visitors. As well as existing international customers, Norbreck Export stand attracted a great deal of new enquiries throughout the day.
The team of Gordon and Helen Wilson and Philip Halhead were kept busy with enquiries for a number of beef breeds - and from a number of countries which included some of the newest member states. "We knew several visitors planned to visit our stand, but we were surprised by the number of new enquiries that we received," explained Philip Halhead.
He went on to add "there are very few companies in the UK that have experience of exporting large numbers of cattle. No one will have exported more pedigree cattle in the last year than Norbreck Exports and with the number of orders and requests we have taken in the last few weeks, we are expecting to be sourcing even more cattle in the coming year."
Gordon Wilson confirmed that he had shown several beef breeds to international visitors "at first we exported limousin heifers, now we are exporting other breeds like the Charolais. However, I can confirm that there are other breeds that are appealing to the new EU countries and we are actively looking at supplying this new emerging market".
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April News - Export enquiries grow for dairy and beef breeds
The number of enquiries for both beef and dairy breeding cattle has rapidly grown according to Phil Halhead from Norbreck Genetics.
"Since we sent our first batch of limousin heifers to Poland, the number of requests for cattle has gone through the roof. We are currently organising exports for holstein dairy cattle as well as more limousins and just recently we shipped the first Aberdeen Angus cattle to Belgium" confirmed Phil who is
busy fulfilling export orders.
Pictured right: Phil Halhead with some of the Sales team at Tops Farm Ltd in Poland. Sales and Export briefings are now a regular feature during Phil's trips frequent trips to Poland.
HOLSTEIN UPDATE
Polish clients looking for over 200 heifers have received their first batch of 65 Holstein heifers from various Pedigree Dairy herds in the UK. The herds included GATROG - Mr & Mrs Thomas from South Wales and RIDGEFIELD Holsteins in Leicestershire:
"Our clients were delighted with the high quality heifers that arrived on their 3000 cow dairy unit" commented Phil Halhead. " We took time selecting good heifers from GP and VG dams to export and involved our clients in the selection process" Norbreck Genetics had assistance in the selection process from Norton & Brooksbank, well known and respected livestock auctioneers and valuers.
LIMOUSIN UPDATE
 A Result! The first in-calf heifers are now due to calve and pictured here is the first born Limi from the first consignment.
Several shipments have gone to Poland in the last few months including 30 in-calf heifers for a young Polish enthusiast who is setting up a new herd using UK genetics. We are hosting a new client at the end of March who is flying to the UK from Warsaw in Poland to select young Limousin heifers and a number of in-calf Limousin females.
ABERDEEN ANGUS
We are delighted to have selected 12 top quality Pedigree Aberdeen Angus in-calf heifers to go to Belgium in April. This is a new client for Norbreck Exports and fingers are crossed that the quality of stock to arrive will lead to an anticipated large second order to follow in summer 2007.
Following a recent visit by Philip Halhead to a Polish beef conference Norbreck Genetics are quoting for several orders across several breeds: Charolais, Limousin, Blonde and Belgian Blue. Haulage remains the biggest challenge with the distance and cost being the hurdles to overcome. Anyone interested in selling breeding cattle to eastern EU countries should contact Philip Halhead at Norbreck Genetics.
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