In a recent statement on social media, president of the Irish Charolais Cattle Society Aiden MacHale informed breeders that Kildare native Barbara Jay Downey has been appointed as the society's new breed secretary.

He stated: "Barbara is highly experienced and has in-depth understanding of the running of the society.

"Her vast knowledge of Charolais and her dedication is a great asset to the society. We wish her well in her new role."

Commenting on her appointment, Barbara said: "I have been working for the Charolais society for the past 28 years.

"I’m not from a farming background, so when I first started in the society, I had it all to learn and if there’s one thing I would say was a strength of mine, it’s that I’m a very fast learner. I was a 'Charolais expert' within a matter of weeks.

Registration

"The society has changed a lot in those 28 years. When I first started, I would have manually keyed in every birth registration, so all the calves born, which at one point was over 11,000 per year, were all keyed in by myself.

"The good thing about being in the job for so long is [that] I already know a lot of our members and they know me.

"I have to say I have enjoyed every minute of my time with the society and I consider it a great honour to serve as its secretary."