Wales Farmer 16 ROYAL WELSH SHOW September 2013


Go behind the linestoget on with the show


GETTING READY: Sheep being trimmed before showing.


KEEPING COOL: (below) Show organisers invested in additional fans to keep livestock cool.


■ Pig breeder LIZ SHANKLAND offers apeek behind the scenes at the Royal Welsh Show –from an exhibitor’s perspective


TAKING part in Wales’s premier agricultural show is alittle like being part of amassive theatre produc-


tion. Youand your animals arepart


of ahuge spectacle,forming akey part of the proceedings.You are privy to aside of the showwhich is hidden from the general public. Just likebeing part of the cast and crew of aplay, youarrive when the whole thing is being set up; yousee the teething problems, the frustrations,and the solutions being found beforethe curtain is lifted.


Until Istarted showing my


Tamworths five years ago, Inever appreciated quite howmuch work wasinvolved taking live- stock to ashow. To the uninitiat- ed, it mayseem as though we all trundle in with our trailers on the Mondaymorning, just ahead of the public. In fact, most of us trek up on the Saturdayor Sunday–after carrying out all the essential chores at home,giv- ing copious instructions to those left behind, and packing asur- vivalkit of food and other bits and pieces forourselves and the animals. The real work begins long


beforeshowweek. Breeding a show-quality animal can take years of dedication, as well as careful timing to produce some- thing the right agefor the various showclasses.You mayalso want to get your female exhibits preg- nant to look blooming in the ring –but not too heavilypregnant thatthey run the risk of giving birth at the show, as has hap-


pened on occasions. Some animals start having


their baths and fancy hairdos weeks ahead of the show, so all thatisneeded is afinal sprucing- up beforethe competition. Others,likeme, coax mud-caked animals straight out of the field and into the trailer. Fortunately, the wash pens at


the RoyalWelsh showground are better than at most of the other shows Igoto, so Itakebuckets, sponges,brushes,shampoo and conditioner and give them athor- ough washing on site.Keeping animals cool at shows can be a nightmareand, as exhibitors,we were reallyconcerned at howthey would cope in July’s blisteringly hot temperatures. However,the showorganisers


came up trumps and installed additional roof fans in the live- stock buildings and had mobile ones on standby, should any moreberequired. Outside in the pig ring, it wasa


different story.All the pigs were pretty hot and bothered after being paraded around in the 30ºC heatfor what seemed an age, and most started to get abit grumpy. As the judge shook my hand and gave me the Tamworth breed champion rosette,mybig sow, all 400kg of her,went wandering off and, determined to get out of the ring, bowled over an unlucky exhibitor whowas standing in her way, and then bit one of the other pigs.Highlyembarrassing, as the whole thing wasbeing filmed for S4C. I’ve no doubt the footage will


makeits wayonto You’ve Been Framed one of these days.


PARTY TIME IN THE PIG LINES: Phil Fowlie from Anglesey (left) and the Perkins family from Pembrokeshire socialise at the Royal Welsh Show.


Showing isn’t all about win-


ning. The prizemoney will rarely coverentry fees and fuel costs,so therehas to be something more thatkeeps us coming back year after year.Amajor showisan excellent shop windowfor your herdand can lead to sales in future. But the main reason peo- ple likemeexhibit is because we love it, and because we love being part of the whole RoyalWelsh pageant. Thereisareal sense of cama-


raderie among showpeople,and alot of fun to be had once the public have left and the gates have closed. Although youoccasional- ly see some very sophisticated caravans and motorhomes,most


showpeople improvise,sleeping in their trailers.Once the animals areintheir pens,athorough washing-out is all that’srequired to transformahumble livestock boxinto Hotel Ifor Williams. In case of rain, atarpaulin is


thrownoverthe top.Others will park twotrailers close to one another and stretch atarp between them to makeaspacious tented area forsocialising. Granted, it’snot the most luxuri- ous of accommodation. Youwill probablyget very little sleep, wake up with an aching back every day, and spend the week smelling likeafarmyard–but it beats staying in aB&B hands down.


MAKESHIFT HOME: Campers rigging up atarpaulin over two trailers, in case of rain.


ON TO AWINNER: (left) Liz Shankland with her sow, which took Tamworth breed champion at the Royal Welsh.


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