Farm on the M62: Princely costs of entering Royal Highland Show make it an outing too far - Jill Thorp

By the time the Mules and Continental sheep are lambed and the hill sheep begin, my enthusiasm is waning and they all begin to blur into one. I struggle to remember what I had for breakfast let alone what lamb a Moss Edge Cheviot lambed two springs ago. Yet the pair of them remember them all. His beloved Zwartbles have been slow to lamb, but the shrieks of excitement when they finally arrived could no doubt be heard right over on the dark side of the border.

My bank account is once again looking severely depleted as the summer agricultural shows are now reaching their entry deadlines. Having attended in the past, I was keen for the little guy to experience the Royal Highland Show this year. My heart sunk, however, as I read through the schedule and entry fees. The stabling alone was almost double that of other large county shows, including the Royal Welsh as were the entry fees. It quickly became clear that there was no way we could afford to go. It’s a huge undertaking for all involved to keep these big shows going, the cost alone is astronomical.

But it’s sad that competitors are getting well and truly out priced by the fees needed to make these shows viable. For this year, we’ll not be heading north and have instead entered the wonderful Royal Welsh where John-William will compete for the first time ever. It would appear we have been successful in securing sheep pens for the Great Yorkshire show, although none of our friends have managed this year, so it’ll be a quiet one for us. These shows are such an intrinsic part of farmer’s lives. They are often a shop window and a chance to show off our world class stock. With Mental Health Awareness week fast approaching, it’s important to remember that agricultural shows provide vitally important breaks and are more often than not, a farmer’s annual holiday. As farming enters a new era of crises, now more than ever, support and appreciation is needed.