POLISH SIMMENTAL CATTLE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION

Edgar Beneš, Bogumiła Choroszy, Władysław Brejta

The Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association was established in 1994 in Sanok in the Podkarpackie province. It has as its members Simmental cattle breeders and enthusiasts. From its inception until today, the Association has covered mainly the Podkarpackie province, which is the largest region in which Simmental cattle are bred in Poland. The Association is open to all breeders who own Simmentals and to organizations or individuals involved in the breeding and implementation of the Simmental breeding programme. Statutory authorities of the Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association:

 

President	inż. Edgar Beneš
Vice President	dr inż. Władysław Brejta
Secretary	dr inż. Bogumiła Choroszy
Other Board Members	mgr inż. Robert Pieszczoch
	Tadeusz Silarski
	Jan Zalisz
	mgr inż Wiesław Janowicz
Auditing Committee	mgr inż Józef Liga
	mgr inż Teresa Tromska

 

The principal goal of the Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association is to consolidate the breeders' community, to undertake activities that contribute to the development of breeding, and to improve Simmental cattle. An equally important goal is to represent the interests of breeders before institutions associated with breeding, agriculture and implementation of breeding programmes. The Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association is unique in Poland as it represents the breeders of one breed only. The reason is that breeders of dualpurpose Simmental cattle who take part in conventions organized by the Dairy Cattle Breeders Association and the Beef Cattle Breeders Association concluded that the breeding goals for dairy and beef cattle are different from those for Simmental cattle, as are the efforts of breeders of milk or meat breeds. Simmental cattle are of the dual-purpose type, which means that breeders expect good milk yields from their cows and high quality of slaughter livestock from young fattening cattle. For this reason, in an effort to meet the expectations of breeders, it was concluded that Polish Simmental cattle would continue to be raised as a dualpurpose type. Therefore, both dairy and beef traits will be improved. Special stress will be laid on the quality composition and technological suitability of milk. Meat traits will be subject to continuous and rigorous selection to maintain good muscling, and meat quality will be improved in accordance with consumer expectations. The first major and responsible task undertaken by the Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association, in particular by the Board and Breeding Council that represent the Association, with active participation from institutions involved in breeding and organization of breeding, was to elaborate the Breeding and Production Programme for Simmental Cattle. The Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association joined the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers in Warsaw, whose structures were established in 1995.

The Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers in Warsaw is

the only rightful representative of the cattle breeders and milk producers community in Poland. The Federation has members belonging to 18 regional breeders associations and 2 breed associations of Simmental cattle and Polish Red cattle breeders. Statutory Authorities of the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers

 

President	Leszek Hądzlik
Vice Presidents	Members of the Executive Board Krzysztof Banach
	Stefan Glonek
Secretary	- Member of the Executive Board Marian Pankowski
Members of the Executive Board	Edgar Beneš
	Zbigniew Młyński
	Bronisław Tabisz

 

 

On 1 July 2004, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (decision No 88/2004 of 26 February 2004) entrusted the task of keeping herdbooks and carrying out the national breeding programme for Simmental cattle and other breeds to the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers, which has the Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association as its full member. On 1 July 2006, the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Dairy Farmers in Warsaw took over the implementation of tasks related to the evaluation of cattle productive value (art. 7 sect. 1).

In the major cattle producing countries, the increase in the breeding value of cattle breeds was paralleled by the establishment of cattle breeders' organizations, which improved their structures over the course of many years. Livestock breeders and users formed associations, the aim of which was to improve breeding animals and to develop production. They were inspired by the activities of small farmer groups. At first they were engaged in the organization of animal shows, but their role expanded with the use of bulls for reproduction, the evaluation and selection of these bulls, and the selection of bull mothers. The importance of breeders' organizations increased when they took full responsibility for tasks related to the implementation of breeding programmes for different cattle breeds.

Today's efforts are aimed to improve the breeding and productive value of animals of different breeds through appropriate use of bulls, keeping breeding records and herd-books, and training breeders in proper animal rearing practices, feeding and environmental conditions to maximize milk and meat production while emphasizing the qualitative and health value of the products obtained.

Acting through their representatives elected to the associations, breeders are obliged to realize many tasks related to the improvement of the Simmental breed. The main goal of the breeders' association is to implement the breeding programme with the purpose of increasing the breeding and productive value of Simmental animals. The Polish Simmental Cattle Breeders Association developed the Breeding Programme, which specifies tasks aimed at increasing the breeding and productive value of the Simmental animals used. The aim for the national population of this breed is to maintain the dual-purpose production type in accordance with breeders' wishes, i.e. to improve dairy and beef traits to an equal degree while consolidating good traits such as health, length of productive life and fertility.

 

 

Polski Związek Hodowców Bydła Simentalskiego z/s w Odrzechowej
Adres: Odrzechowa 1, 38-530 Zarszyn
tel. (013)-467-11-72, fax (013)-435-91-20, e-mail:simentale@simentale.pl