Royal Smithfield Club finds temporary home for primestock championships

Just a week after the winter primestock show scene was rocked by the cancellation of AgriLIVE Smithfield, which had been due to host the Royal Smithfield Club’s primestock classes, a temporary home for the Club’s 2010 championships has been announced.

The East of England Winter Stock Festival, to be held at Peterborough on 12 and 13 November, will host the Club’s championships this year, including the overall cattle and suckled calf championships and the sheep championships.

Explaining the development, interim chief executive at East of England Agricultural Society, Catherine Pusey, said the Society contacted the Royal Smithfield Club after hearing of AgriLIVE’s demise. “We wanted to do everything we could to offer the Club a home for its championships in this difficult time.”

Speaking on behalf of the Royal Smithfield Club, chairman John Campbell said that at an initial meeting last Friday (24 September) it became clear it would be possible to hold the Club’s championships at the event. “This is an arrangement for 2010 which will give all those exhibitors who were planning to attend the show at Stoneleigh an opportunity to compete for the Club’s trophies. We are grateful to the generous offer of assistance from the East of England team and look forward to working closely with them to ensure anyone wanting to exhibit can do so.”

Entry forms for the East of England Winter Stock Festival are being sent to all those who exhibited at RSC events in recent years, and the entry deadline has been extended until Friday 8 October to assist those concerned.

• For more news and views on the move see FWi’s Taking Stock blog