The Dexter Cattle Society, Republic of Ireland (DCS ROI) Group is holding its AGM on Sunday, February 17, in the Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath.

The Dexter Cattle Group represents over 100 members who are breeders of purebred registered Dexter cattle in the Republic of Ireland.

The group’s chairman Sean Flannery explained that the group “always invites non-members to the AGM”.

Dexter beef is said to be a ‘premium meat’ that is sought after by high-end restaurants, hotel menus and discerning meat eaters.

A statement from the society explained that Dexter steers are grass-fed and are slaughtered at 24 to 30 months.

The ROI group has a supply contract with the ABP Factory in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, where – according to the society – it receives a ‘premium’ price.

Membership in the society has grown from 100 breeders in 2014 to 170 members in 2018 and herd registrations have doubled in the past three years.

The ROI group has a committee of 10 members who hold an AGM and four provincial meetings each year which include a visit to a member’s herd.

According to the society, Dexter cattle are a small, dual-purpose breed which are a native Irish breed.

The breed had all but disappeared from Ireland and had to be reintroduced from the UK in the last 20 years.

The Irish group is also a member of the Dexter Cattle Society in the UK where its cattle are registered.

The society also participates actively in the Knowledge Transfer Scheme.

A link to the society’s website is available here and a link to the Irish Dexter Facebook page is available here.