Winter Fair 2026 cattle 'back to normal' after bluetongue restrictions
The dairy sector remains a driving force across the entire farming industry, according to Danske Bank’s head of agriculture, Rodney Brown.
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 Royal Ulster Winter Fair he confirmed that dairy farmers are, for the most part, the first to adopt new technologies.
A case in point is the use of GPS fertiliser spreading systems.
Brown continued: “All of this is helping to drive efficiency levels within the milk sector.
"And it’s a trend that continues to build momentum.”
Commenting on the current economics of milk production, the Danske bank representative said that farmers are just about breaking even.
He said: “Two factors are coming into play here: the challenging state of world dairy markets and the fact that calf prices are remaining buoyant.
“When all relevant input costs are factored in, the end result is a dairy sector that is managing to pay its bills; but no more than that.
“As a consequence, investment levels within the milk industry have slowed down somewhat over recent months."
Winter Fair
The 2026 Winter Fair takes place on Thursday, December 10. The day sees the event celebrate its 40th anniversary.
It is now widely recognised as, probably, the most important dairy exhibition to take place across the island of Ireland on an annual basis.
This is reflected in the fact that the elite of dairy breeders vie to secure the awards and prize money on offer.
Members of the Irish Holstein Friesian Breeders Association (IHFA) have been extremely successful at the Winter Fair.
This year's event will see cattle return after their absence in 2025 due to bluetongue restrictions.
This was a specific point referenced by RUAS president, David Cunningham, when speaking at the 2026 launch event.
He explained: “Bluetongue restrictions meant that all the livestock competitions scheduled for the 2025 vent were cancelled.
“However, this year, everything is back to normal and we are expecting a tremendous turnout of stock in the Eikon Centre on December 10.”
In light of the 2025 bluetongue restrictions, the RUAS and Danske Bank jointly hosted a Winter Fair On-Farm Challenge during January of this year.
The initiative saw the appointed judge, Alan Timbrell from Gloucestershire, travelling some 1,200 miles to find the top dairy cows that had originally been scheduled to take part in the 2025 Winter Fair.
The On-Farm Challenge Inter-Breed Championship was awarded to the Holstein Cow: Hilltara Lambda Doreen. She is owned by Sam and John McCormick, who farm on the outskirts of Bangor in Co Down.
The Reserve went to the Fleming family, from Seaforde in Co Down with their elite Jersey cow: Potterswalls Casino Lady.
