Virus halts Great Yorkshire Show
1 June 2001
Virus halts Great Yorkshire Show
By Wendy Owen, north-east England correspondent
THE Great Yorkshire show has been cancelled because of the continuing number of foot-and-mouth outbreaks close to its Harrogate showground.
It had been hoped that the three-day annual show would go ahead as normal, but without livestock classes for cattle, sheep, pigs and goats.
Organisers had hoped to use the event, scheduled for 10-12 July, as a platform to raise funds for the farming industry hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis.
But John Stoddart-Scott, executive committee chairman of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society announced the cancellation of the show on Friday (1 June).
“When we decided to continue with the show a month ago the outbreaks appeared to be decreasing,” he said.
“But we are now closer to the show dates and the disease does not appear to be under control. We feel it would no longer be appropriate to go ahead.”
A Yorkshire Agricultural Society Farmers Fund has so far raised almost 250,000, most of which will go to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.
Mr Stoddart-Scott said: “We will now look at how we can extend our support for farmers, in particular to help them with long term recovery plans.”
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