News

Christmas shopping is one of the big attractions for visitors at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair and with signs of an accelerating economic recovery this need not be an austerity Christmas for bargain hunters looking for gifts for friends and family at the two-day event at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells.

The Fair takes place on December 2 and 3 leaving just 21 shopping days to Christmas and this year the number of outdoor stands are being increased by 40 per cent.  A new avenue will be opened – between the S4C Pavilion and the underpass – creating a circular route around the showground.

The candidates for the 2014 Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s Oxford Farming Conference Bursary were so impressive that the judges have broken with tradition by giving the award to two people instead of one.

“Seven candidates came forward for selection and all were worthy of going to Oxford,” said the judges in their report.  “Our final selection was very difficult and our decision was that two of them should receive the bursary this time.

One of the most prestigious prizes in Welsh agriculture, the John Gittins Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the Welsh sheep industry, has been won by Monmouthshire farmer Maurice Trumper of Llanfair Kilgeddin, Abergavenny.

Mr Trumper, who now farms in partnership with his son, lambs over 1000 ewes each year including 150 Ile de France sheep. Their flock is the largest and oldest of the breed in England and Wales.

The enthusiasm of livestock producers from across the country and their aspirations to claim a coveted prize at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair is once again reflected in the strength of the entries for next month’s event.  

This will be the 24th Winter Fair, regarded as the leading prime stock show in the UK, and nearly 1250 cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, as well as 153 entries in the lamb carcass competitions, will be on the showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on December 2 and 3.

Welsh National Foal Show - 27th October

The recent warning by the British Poultry Council – the voice of the poultry industry – that the country will soon be unable to produce enough UK-reared chickens to satisfy consumer demand unless the planning process for new poultry farms is accelerated, will be of little concern to exhibitors at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair Poultry Show.

We eat 2.2 million chickens a day, 70 per cent of them reared in the UK, and there are some large scale producers in Wales.  But the commercial side of the poultry business is far removed from the world of showing poultry, an exciting and rewarding hobby pursued by many poultry fanciers around the country.

Ingenuity, flair and a deft touch are just some of the skills required by the competitors in the Royal Welsh Winter Fair handicrafts classes, not to mention the ability to create mouth-watering savouries and confections to set before the judges in the cookery section at the Fair which runs for two days at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on December 2 and 3.

Brightwells Official Standardbred Horse Sale - 21 October