Supreme pig takes title in home of the breed

The Supreme Pig Championship featured the best of nearly 400 entrants in one of the most hotly contested open pig shows in the calendar.

The winner was a Large White boar, Panorama Prince 20, born last October in a small herd run by Bleddyn Beck and his brother, Chris, at Leith, South Wales.

Bleddyn said: “It’s great to win in the home of the breed – we call them Yorkshires.”

The pig’s grandfather was supreme champion of the show four years ago.

Judge Brian Knight, of Northampton, said: “A lot of pigs at this level of competition are very good in all the obvious ways. In the end, you are looking for one which walks like a champion.”

Runner-up and champion female was a Duroc gilt, Portbredy Nancy, born last August, shown by Hayley Loveless, of Dorset.

Show-ring commentator Barrie Turner said the Duroc was a North American breed famous for its strong legs, resistance to sunburn and general hardiness, and was part of the make-up of “most of the thousands of outdoor pigs you see on either side of the A64 on the way to Scarborough”.

One of the handlers in the ring, Lisa Kennedy, said she had none of her own to show but had come along to help. She works on a farm open to visitors at Tatton Park, Cheshire, “teaching people about the beauty of pigs”.

She added: “I’ve learnt to appreciate them myself. And you usually get a good big social after the show. The Yorkshire is definitely my favourite.”

The show was sponsored by Sainsbury’s and prizes were presented by Clare Smith, who works in farm liaison for the company.

The competition was followed by the play-off for the British Pig Association Pig of the Year, which included winners of heats at other big shows around the country, born within the past year.

Debbie Keeble of Debbie & Andrew’s Sausages, sponsors of the competition, presented the first prize to a Welsh gilt, Brooksby Empress 32, from Brooksby Melton College at Rugby, Leicestershire, shown by college farm worker Joe Fytche and lecturer James Fryer. The animal qualified from the East of England Show, where she was breed champion.

Reserve Pig of the Year was a British Lop female, Catrin Harmony, shown by Rachel Nicholas of Raglan, Monmouthshire, and her five-year-old daughter Catherine. The judge was Stephen Hull, of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

In the sheep quarter, the supreme champion of all the 36 breed champions from 2,165 entries was a British Rouge – bred from the French Rouges de l’Ouest.

The home-bred three-shear ewe, Harriet, is owned by Percy Tait, of Worcester, once a professional road-tester for Triumph motorbikes, and was shown by his stockman, Will Price.

Reserve supreme champion was a home-bred North Country Cheviot gimmer, Sinton Bullseye, already best female in the hill breeds, from the commercial lamb production flock of Roderick Runciman, Galashiels, in Scottish border country, showing at the Great Yorkshire for the first time.

In earlier competitions yesterday, a British Charollais was crowned best terminal sire and another was best ewe of a terminal sire breed.

The tup, Inglis Cheeky, was presented by Stephen Hodgson, of Patrick Brompton, near Bedale, who has a day job as a dairy herdsman, and the ewe, Sulwood Kinky Kitten, by Carol Green and Geoff Watson, of Kettering.

A lamb from Mr Hodgson’s winning tup was best lamb tup in his breed on Tuesday.

Hobby farmers Rick and Deirdre Halsall, of Kettlewell in North Yorkshire, picked up the prize for best sheared fleece, for the clip from one of their Whitefaced Woodlands.

They mainly sell their wool to weavers, at £15 to £20 a fleece. They would normally have been competing in the livestock rings too, but Mr Halsall is on crutches after a knee replacement operation.

He took up sheep five years ago, after retiring as an outdoor education instructor. “I always used to play out and I still do,” he commented.