The Irish Charolais Cattle Society has appointed a new breed secretary to replace current secretary Nevan McKiernan, who has stepped down from his role.

Shanon Kinahan will step down as pedigree specialist with the Irish Farmers Journal to take up the position in the next few weeks.

Shanon hails from a commercial and pedigree beef farm in Co Limerick and is well known in both showing and pedigree breeding circles.

She joined the Irish Farmers Journal team in autumn 2022 and since then has specialised in pedigree and marts coverage, attending shows and sales and reporting on all things pedigree over the past two years.

Nevan McKiernan held the role of breed secretary for the last eight years, with the previous secretary before him - Nuala Hourihane - having held the position for 42 years.

The Irish Charolais Cattle Society is one of the largest breed societies in the country, with approximately 2,000 members and 6,500 pedigree registrations.

Like many continental breed societies, membership and registrations have been falling in recent years.