Amserlenni da byw ar gael ar gyfer digwyddiad CAFC i dyddynwyr
Judge Emrys Bowen selecting the supreme champion
sheep at the RWAS Smallholder and Garden Festival.
Two hundred and seventy-five classes and special awards have been scheduled for the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival, the highest number recorded since the event was first staged by the society 10 years ago. The response from exhibitors follows last year’s successful Festival which attracted 22,258 visitors.
The schedule lists 125 classes and special awards for sheep, 57 for pigs and 75 for goats. In the sheep section the classes for the Welsh Mountain breed have been split this year into pedigree and non-pedigree exhibits while the pig classification, enhanced in 2009 when designated as a British Pig Association accredited show, will again operate as a qualifying heat for the national ‘Pig of the Year’ competition, the winner of which will be decided at the Great Yorkshire show.
Interest in pigs at the Festival is being boosted by the newly-formed Pedigree Welsh Pig Society which is actively working to conserve, develop and market the Pedigree Welsh Pig as a commercially viable breed. The organisation has the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Goats are always a major attraction at the Festival and the schedule includes classes for Angora, Pygmy and Dairy breeds. There is also an Angora fleece competition where visitors can see a range of the luxurious mohair fleeces from these attractive looking animals.
Although cattle do not appear competitively at the Festival a breed society competition, open only to native British breeds, where individual societies can stage a live animal display, (apart from bulls which are not allowed to participate) is a popular attraction. It provides the opportunity for societies to demonstrate and promote the special qualities and characteristics of their particular breed to visitors. The previous year’s first prize winning exhibitors are not eligible to compete for the top prize this time although they are still encouraged to take part with a display and benefit from the promotional opportunity provided.
A similar competition will be held for sheep breed societies which will also include live animals and informative and educational material about the individual breeds exhibited. The winner will receive a special Welsh Royal Crystal award given by Emlyn Kinsey Pugh, the chairman of the Festival.
The Smallholder and Garden Festival takes place on the showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on May 15 and 16.
Download the competition schedules here
top printiwch