Herefordshire Through Time
Herefordshire Through Time
At the first Show and Sale in February the average price for bulls was £280. In Europe new territories for the Hereford were opened up by sales to Norway, Switzerland and northern Italy.
In 1951 an International Conference was held at Hereford Town Hall under the Chairmanship of Sir R.C.G. Cotterell. Delegates came from Argentine, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Uruguay and the USA. This gathering would become known as the World Hereford Conference.
During 1951, 300 export certificates were issued. Israel accounted for 200 of these, purchased by its government for £15,000. 80% of these were pedigree and the rest pure-breed.
The first steps towards breeding polled (hornless) Herefords in the UK was taken about 1950, and in 1955 Herefords were being imported from New Zealand to supplement the stock.
In 1956 the 2nd World Hereford Conference was held in Buenos Aires, in July. Television cameras visited Hereford on 17th October to record the centenary celebrations of the Cattle Market. The Hereford Herd Book Society arranged a show and parade of Hereford cattle.
One hundred and ninety-five export certificates were issued. Countries not previously supplied included Hungary, Pakistan and Yugoslavia. There was a decline in exports to Argentine and Uruguay, and a marked increase in exports to Australia.
On Wednesday 24th April the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh paid a visit to Hereford Cattle Market. One hundred and ninety-seven export certificates were issued but there were further reductions in the numbers sent to Argentina and Uruguay due to the devaluation of the peso against the pound, which doubled the price of British livestock.
Also in the 1950s there were renewed exports to America to combat dwarfism in their stock.
[Original author: Miranda Greene, 2005]