Angus Beefs it up at the Royal Show

When Angus Stovold shows his Aberdeen Angus beef at this year's Royal Show in Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 2-5 July 2006, it will be vindication of a decision his grandfather Percy made exactly 70 years ago.

That was when his great-grandfather Frederick told Angus's grandfather that to move south and build a business around Aberdeen Angus cattle would be the ruin of him.

"But my grandfather, knowing how these cattle could thrive on our light soils, went ahead and bought the cattle from Perth in Scotland then hid them from Frederick for two years. He then took them on the show circuit in 1938 (including the Royal Show at that time) and won dozens of top awards. The business hasn't looked back since," said Angus, whose Guildford-based herd is now one of the largest in the country.

Angus is hoping to build on that success at this year's Royal Show's Aberdeen Angus competition sponsored by Marks & Spencer – the leading national marketer of Aberdeen Angus beef.

"Marks & Spencer continues to be among British agriculture's strongest supporters and we are delighted to be supporting the Royal Show again this year," said Rob Cumine, M&S agricultural technologist.

"We rely on the finest genetics to ensure consistent beef flavour and tenderness for our 12 million weekly customers. It is for that reason that M&S supports the Elite beefbreeder bull class, Aberdeen Angus and Beef Teams of five. All of these highlight the value of using science and husbandry to help identify and evaluate the best performing beef animals."