The Royal Highland Show is an annual event showcasing the very best in food, farming and rural life. Organised by The Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (founded in 1784 to promote the regeneration of rural Scotland) it is their flagship fundraising event generating revenue to support their charitable activities. In the early years it moved around the country, but since 1960 has been held at Ingliston, near Edinburgh, with 110 acres of trade exhibitor space for over 750 exhibitors. It provides a showcase featuring over 230 top agri-machinery manufacturers and dealers including Massey Ferguson, John Deere & Krone; as well as exhibitors such as Tesla and Land Rover; and the UK’s major supermarkets.
This year’s event welcomed a record number of over 217,000 visitors to enjoy the wide range of events and activities.
If you were lucky you may have spotted a Royal guest: Anne, Princess Royal enjoyed a walking tour of the food hall and visited the cattle and horses, chatting to exhibitors, staff and volunteers.
The Show is a major livestock event with over 5,000 animals, cattle, sheep, goats and horses competing for over 280 trophies, including the prestigious Queen’s Cup which rotates around the different species and this year was awarded in the Heavy Horse section and won by the champion Clydesdale, MacFin Delta Dawn, from Northern Ireland.
A major attraction this year was the Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing & Woolhandling Championships, returning to Scotland after 20 years with over 200 shearers and woolhandling competitors from over 30 countries travelling from as far as New Zealand, and Chile and South Africa to shear 4,000 sheep. There are three disciplines of Machine Shearing which is fast paced action, Blade Shearing displaying supreme skills with hand shears, and Woolhandling the deft folding and rolling of the shorn fleece. Individual titles went to Wales, South Africa and Scotland with the team titles taken by South Africa and Wales.
There are a wide range of other events and attractions with something for everyone. Well worth a visit! Date for the diary Royal Highland Show 2024 22-23 June, Ingliston Edinburgh. www.royalhighlandshow.org
We were delighted to assist in a fantastic research project led by Eileen Wall, Head of Research & Professor of Integrative Livestock Genetics at SRUC and share her reflections on the Show: “ This year’s show was an eye-opening illustration of the livestock industry’s vital efforts to address the challenges of climate change , consumer demands and competition. We (SRUC) were privileged to be at the heart of the action with our TASTE (Tasting And Sensory Testing Environment) Unit. We collaborated with ADHB, Agriculture& Horticulture Development Board, Dunbia Group and passionate students from SRUC conducting real-time research aimed at promoting sustainable solutions in the industry. Our hypothesis? To investigate whether feed-efficient beef animals equate to good/poor eating quality. With over 700 visitors sampling nearly 1,100 steaks, we collected valuable data that we’ll be analysing over the coming months. Our hope is to reveal insights that can assist British farms in genetically selecting for beef animals that are not only sustainable and efficient but also provide the highest eating quality.”
We await the findings with interest as SRUC champions a future where sustainability and taste coexist.
Under the leadership of Principal and Chief Executive, Professor Wayne Powell, SRUC’s Vision and Mission is to be Scotland’s enterprise university at the heart of our sustainable natural economy. Creating and mobilising knowledge and talent. Partnering locally and globally to benefit Scotland’s natural economy.
Education, research, and consultancy at SRUC grows the natural economy. A natural economy fuelled by responsible use of the world’s natural resources: people, land, energy, water, animals and plants. By working in partnership, SRUC focuses on solving the “wicked challenges” facing the planet, including climate change, biodiversity and access to nutritious food and clean water. By focussing on the sustainable natural economy, SRUC will strive to lead the way in delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all, in Scotland, and beyond.
