Royal approval for one of the greatest

Record entries, crowds of thousands and a touch of royalty crowned one of the most memorable Great Yorkshire Show’s in recent times.

Now the highest profile event in the country’s agricultural calendar, the show continues to fire on all cylinders with crowds coming from all corners of the UK.

While the final attendance figures were still being calculated when Country Week went to press, the overall crowd numbers looked to be very strong.

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The undoubted highlight came on the show’s second day when Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of York, visited the show.

Charles, the patron of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, who organise the show, was making his first visit to the Harrogate showground since 2006.

During their stay the couple enjoyed sampling some quintessential Yorkshire fare such as Wensleydale cheese and Yorkshire sloe gin, as well as meeting with the public.

Perhaps one of the more poignant moments came when the Prince spoke with Doncaster farmer Ken Jackson, who has fought an ongoing battle to prove that his award-winning bull Hallmark Boxster, was not infected with TB.

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Charles also met with Janet Oldroyd, who featured in the Yorkshire Post earlier in the week to highlight the impact that the dry weather is having on her crops.

Mrs Oldroyd, who grows rhubarb at Rothwell – part of Yorkshire’s famed Rhubarb Triangle – said: “We’re looking at losses of around £1m over the next three years.

“Things are very difficult.”

Notable by their absence, however, was anybody senior from Defra, with the secretary of state Caroline Spelman having pulled out the week before.

The move caused some disappointment from organisers but Defra insisted no snub was intended, with Lord Henley visiting instead.

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The cattle classes were very strong with the Yorkshire Post cup for the Best Interbreed Group of Animals being presented to the Aberdeen Angus breed society.

It marked the first time that the Aberdeen Angus has come out on top in this class since the mid 1980s, with Keith Glympton, among those exhibiting hailing the breed as “a brand” that was recognised across the country.

“It’s famous for all the right reasons, they’re a joy to farm,” he said.

Elsewhere, the Supreme Sheep trophy was won by Percy Tait of Worcester and the Supreme Dairy animal was won by Robert Butterfield for his Holstein cow.

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It was the second year in a row Mr Butterfield’s animal had won the accolade and he will now take her on to compete at other competitions across the country.

The weather, which cast a shadow over the event in the preceding weeks, stayed mostly dry, with one brief shower on the Tuesday being all visitors had to contend with.

The Thursday in particular saw bright sunshine and high temperatures with the president’s lawn next to the main ring home to hundreds of people looking to soak up some sun.

The usual traffic problems were particularly acute on the opening day with the traditional long queues mounting from 7.30am onwards.

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Meanwhile, the Country Land & Business Association used the event to warn over threats to the country’s heritage by poor management and the National Farmers’ Union highlighted the £35m losses facing Yorkshire’s growers following the unseasonably dry spring.

FROM THE BACK ROOM OF A PUB...

This year marked the 153rd staging of the Great Yorkshire Show.

Set up by a group of agricultural enthusiasts in the back room of a York pub in 1838, it is now the country’s premier agricultural show following the demise of the Royal Show in 2009.

The event costs £2m to put on and hands out some 330 prizes over the course of its three days.

The show requires 125 tonnes of straw for the livestock on site and 106 tonnes of litter are collected following its completion.