Report by Fiona Sloan

Prague was my second experience of the World Fleckvieh Simmental Federation. My first visit to Canada as one of the UK representative was a daunting but very enjoyable experience and everyone made an effort to welcome me to the World Federation Council.

By the time we reached Prague a year later I was “one of the boys” and felt like a real part of the organisation. The Czech Republic is a blossoming country which is well on its was to a western style way of life, with the introduction of all of the big stores and restaurants and Prague itself is a lively city, which is becoming more popular with people from all over Western Europe. The Old Town is magnificent and we were given a two hour tour (on foot!) round the area and a less strenuous two hour tour by boat in the evening. A trip to the National Museum for the opening ceremony was not only awesome but the Czech Minister for Agriculture addressed the meeting and basically said that the Government would give their farmers full support and in return they had to produce the goods. A simple plan which most country representatives present would have been proud to hear from their own Governments.

Following our time in Prague we travelled into the country to view some particularly outstanding cattle being used in their traditional role of a dual purpose breed. The cows were of good conformation and the farming systems being used were not unlike our own. Until this point I was concerned about the introduction of this type of cattle into the British Herd but I could see an argument for their introduction into the dairy herds in the UK to improve the conformation and longevity. The typical dairy Fleckvieh produces around 6000 litres of milk in comparison to a top end Holstein on around 10,000. The cow will however continue to produce milk for an extended period of time giving the Fleckvieh a higher life production than the average dairy cow in the UK. She also produces a much better conformation calf which can be easily finished in an intensive system.

Fleckvieh dairy herd

While walking around one farm I came across a machine which appeared to be making some kind of feed pellet. When I enquired further, it was actually recycling the muck from the cattle, drying it and making pellets which were being used as bedding. The bacterial content had been proven to be no higher than any other type of bedding and there was no apparent smell, considering its origins. While the finishing cattle were not in the same league as the type of finishers we have in the UK, they were a very good conformation animal of their type and finishing at a similar rate to our own Simmentals.

Before travelling to the Czech Republic, I had no real knowledge of dairy cattle apart from feeding the calves in my youth. By the time we had visited several large dairy herds and their offspring bull beef, I had learned enough to pick the Champion and Reserve at the Regional Show which we attended! Not a bad effort – at least it proved I must have been paying attention!

All of the cattle are fed indoors and there are very few fences and therefore very little livestock outdoors. Most of the country produces massive amounts of grain through cooperatives, which still work well. A visit to a vineyard near the Austrian border proved this. It was run by a cooperative of over 300 members and covered a huge area of underground cellars, some of which ran around 6 miles to the border. The ability of these people to work together to one end will be a huge asset in their effort to compete with the trade in the rest of the EU. Wine production on the other hand, would be unlikely to be a threat to any of the major wine producing regions. It is an acquired taste! The beer however is outstanding!

Delegates enjoying a ’tasting’ at the wine cellars near the Austrian border

Every house we passed was different and new developments were also very individual. The one thing that occurred to all of us was that all houses had well stocked vegetable gardens and a real feeling of self sufficiency. Almost like gardens I remember as a child in Scotland. Despite the thousands of hectares of potatoes we passed, not a single meal in the week had potatoes as a side order with everything being served with a type of Dumpling and meat was normally prepared as a kind of stew and very tasty. Washed down with more of the home made wine! The potatoes were being used to produce starch more than vegetables and no matter where we went or whether it was breakfast time or dinner, we were treated to some of the local schnapps (another use for potatoes I suspect) and many of the larger farms were very proud to have their own distillery and brand. Since FMD, we have all been used to disinfecting on the outside, when we arrive on farms. This trip, we were disinfected on the inside as well!

One of the highlights of the visit was to the National Stud, where they were breeding the almost extinct native driving horse. We were treated to a tour of stables which would have been at home in a Jane Austin novel and a show of the stallions mares and foals within the stud. A lack of attention to the breed by the communist regime had seen these magnificent animals almost die out and it is a great credit to the Government who now ensure their security and ability to export. Many of the “old families” were disinherited by the Communists and had to flee their homes within a matter of hours. Some had successfully reclaimed their title but many had lost everything. It was an intriguing story as the week went on and we ended up having dinner in one of the many castles in the region with the owner of the first ever foreign horse to win the Grand National, a feat which he was obviously very proud of indeed.

The meetings were interesting and mainly dairy based in view of the large turnout of European delegates. Canada, USA, South Africa, Northern Ireland and ourselves were the main beef producing countries represented. Peter Massmann from South Africa gave a very interesting talk on the history of the Simmental, which for my money was the best talk of the week, next to our own presentation for the 2008 World Congress in the UK. To which we had a great response from the delegates, and many said that they would be attending. During the elections of office bearers and in view of our current role as hosts of the World Congress, I was proposed and elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Promotions Committee for the World Federation, a role I am delighted to be involved in on your behalf.

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