Confusion reigns throughout the British Limousin Cattle Society with council members in Scotland, Northumberland, Sheffield and Northern Ireland calling for an extraordinary general meeting.

In a letter to all club secretaries and chairmen from a group of seven British Limousin Cattle Society (BLCS) council members, they say the ‘Council of the Society has broken down and is no longer functioning as it should.’

It states: ‘The Council has delegated certain of its powers to an executive committee (“the Executive”) and we have tried to challenge the Executive on their actions many of which we consider to be inappropriate. However, we have found it difficult to influence proper governance of the Society given the way in which proposals are raised.

The letter from council members Jim Gammie, Martin Irvine, Brian McAulay, Keith Redpath, Matthew Jordan, Andrew Clark and Jonathan Stacey, points out the vote of no confidence in the chairman Jonathan Watson was passed by a majority on council but that Mr Watson currently refuses to resign from his position as chairman.

READ MORE | No confidence vote in BLCS chairman Jonathan Watson

As a result, the letter states: “It is our proposed intention to propose that the Council of Management of the Society should call an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the Society as soon as practicable and in any event, in accordance with the provisions of section 303 of the Companies Act 2006 if that should be invoked.

“At that meeting, we propose that there should be a vote of no confidence in the Council of Management, and should that be forthcoming, a new Council will be appointed which would continue until the September 2024 AGM. Should we win a majority vote at the EGM, all council members must stand down. Then we will select a quorum of Council members from the members present at the meeting which would continue in office until the September 2024 AGM.

“We need 5% of the membership to support holding an EGM and we shall be circulating the relevant documentation for this.”

The letter asks for membership support for this action to safeguard the future of the society and to ensure it is taken forward for the benefit of the members.

The chairman of the Northern Ireland Limousin Cattle Club, Kieran Mc Crory, has also written to its members regarding the current situation surrounding the tenure of the BLCS chairman, Jonathan Watson. It points out that the vote of no confidence in the chairman, coupled with the lack of updates from the BLCS, have deeply concerned members. The club believes this uncertainty has adversely impacted on breeders’ confidence, which was evident in the recent May sales where sale averages were significantly down on the same sales last year.

The letter states: “The loss of confidence in the chairman by a majority of the Council, combined with the lack of communication and leadership, poses a threat to the integrity and credibility of our society. Therefore, we strongly urge the Chairman to resign from his position in the best interests of the BLCS and its members.”

Will Forrester who is a council member based in Shropshire, said he was confident of the actions taken by the council in the past however, he would not comment on individual cases.

“I am not looking for an EGM, I would like to see the improvement in the integrity of the breed continue,” he said.