Practical help and advice for farmers and meat traders at the Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair
A greater emphasis on practical help and advice for livestock farmers and the meat trade will be the hallmark of The Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair when it returns to the Royal Bath and West of England Showground at Shepton Mallet, Somerset this December.
Sponsored by Merial, the Fair will be held on Friday 5 December and Saturday 6 December, with a wide range of attractions and new features. Jointly organised by the Royal Smithfield Club and the Royal Bath and West of England Society, it is being held at the Showground for the second time since relocating from Earls Court, London in 2006.
The livestock competitions will again be at the heart of the show, and include some of the top animals across the country. There will be over 100 classes covering beef cattle, calves, and sheep. As the culmination of all the major national winter fair competitions, there is prize money of more than £50,000 and trophies valued in excess of £100,000. At the end of the competitions there is a major auction sale of champions and class winners.
The Meat Industry Dinner will be held on the Friday evening of this year’s Fair, where the guest speaker will be a ministerial representative of Defra. During the Dinner the Royal Smithfield Club will present its’ Bicentenary Trophy to the person considered to have made the most significant contribution to the livestock and meat sectors. The Chief Executive of the Royal Bath & West of England Society, Dr. Jane Guise said "we’re looking to build on the enormous success generated by the 2006 Fair practical help combined with new features this year promises to be an event not to be missed by anyone in the business of producing livestock or meat."
Trade stands offering a range of services and products for livestock farmers and meat traders will be located across several halls and sections of the Showground. These will include specialist services for beef and sheep producers, equipment suppliers and retailers specializing in rural and agricultural products. There will be a Food Hall featuring a wide range of local produce. The British Pig Association, the pig industry’s official breed society, will provide a demonstration of pedigree pigs and stage a prestigious National Sausage Competition. Butchery equipment will be on display at the Fair and it is planned to stage working demonstrations of large farm machinery in the Showground’s outside demonstration arena.
Show Manager Alan Lyons commented "the emphasis of this year’s Fair will be on practical help and advice for producers and meat traders. A central focus will be the food supply chain and how to secure future supplies of meat. This will be one of the themes in a series of seminars held on both days of the Fair. There will also be a number of seminars on practical issues related to beef and lamb production as well as a series of demonstrations by Eblex on cattle and sheep conformation and grading."
