The Irish Simmental Cattle Society has announced the appointment of a new general manager of the breed society.

The new appointment is Deirdre McGowan, a native of Mohill, Co. Leitrim. Deirdre stepped into her new role as general manager of the breed society early last week.

Deirdre has previous experience working with a breed producer group and also has experience working at livestock marts. She is no stranger to show cattle, having been involved in showing and breeding pedigree cattle of other breeds from a young age.

Commenting on the appointment, president of the Irish Simmental Cattle Society, Emmanuel O’Dea, said: “We are very impressed with the energy and enthusiasm that Deirdre has towards the role.

Concluding, the society president said: "We look forward to working with her to establish the Simmental breed as having a key role in improving the carbon footprint of both our dairy and suckler beef.”

Speaking to Agriland following her appointment, Deirdre said: “The Simmental breed is renowned for its excellent maternal abilities and commendable growth rates for their age and these traits are vital for sustainable beef production, which is important in today’s climate.

"I look forward to working with the society council and its members to grow and communicate the Simmental breed's importance in both the beef and dairy herd.”

Deirdre also recently completed a masters in Agriculture and Biotechnology at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT).

In other news, the Irish Simmental Cattle Society has announced some of the key sale dates for the calendar year of 2022.

The breed society's Spring Premier Sale will take place in Co. Roscommon on Saturday, March 19.

Next up, the breed society's Tullamore Spring Sale will take place on Friday, April 29, while the society will host a heifer sale in Roscommon on Wednesday, May 11.

Finally, the society will return to Roscommon on October 22, for its Autumn Premier Sale.