JUST inside Entrance One of the National Agricultural Centre last week
the attention was grabbed by a wide-ranging display of lightweight
all-terrain vehicles -- or ATVs.
They could be taken as a suitable metaphor for the whole Royal
Agricultural Show.
When they were first introduced they were simple, relatively
inexpensive, three wheelers that could go anywhere, and had low running
costs.
Now they are so sophisticated they almost need a separate advanced
driving test and a degree in electronics -- and inevitably costs have
escalated.
At the same time, they have become the plaything of well-off
urbanites, either for sport, or for use at the weekend rural retreat.
One model on display was hooked up to a trailer carrying a high
performance water-ski boat, as an example of the expensive toys of the
work hard, play hard school.
The Royal Show is becoming polarised along similar lines. At one point
of a triangle is the traditional livestock judging, at another is the
high-tech sophisticated hardware of the agri-food industry, and at the
third is the still uncomfortable cross-over point between rural and
urban interests.
The fact that ATVs have grown an extra wheel as a result of pressure
from the safety lobby -- as few people could remember the instability of
tricycles from their childhood days -- is a further reminder of the
escalating pressures on the rural sector.
The show organisers have equally been under pressure from the health
and safety lobby to improve the standards of safety at the event,
particularly the separation of livestock from visitors.
As this means setting up temporary barriers on the main avenue between
the principal ring and the stock sheds, this can create quite a headache
-- one which is repeated for the smaller rings.
In these days of six and seven-figure legal actions for accidents and
injuries, the safety of the paying customer, as well as the amateur and
professional participants, is paramount, and one which the Royal
Agricultural Society of England take seriously.
It is partly as a result of these demands that a far reaching
reconstruction of the show site is now being implemented. One of the
more visible elements of this will be the relocation of the ever-growing
equine section to the north of the main ring, complete with stabling and
new all-weather rings.
This is timed to coincide with a new equine exhibition next year, but
will also act as a relief valve on the main avenue to the south of the
ring at the Royal.
It will be one of the main focuses of the new triangulated show site,
with the accent on food, farming, and the countryside respectively, as a
result of the multi-million pound investment programme planned by the
show society.
While the overall end product of the industry is the food people eat,
this activity will continue to occupy a lamentably small area round the
food pavilion, although the major multiples such as Marks and Spencer,
Safeway, and Tesco, may have their own views on this, as all three had
stands at some distance from the hall.
Show agricultural director Dr Mike Ducker admitted last week that the
society had had some stick over the quality of exhibit in the pavilion,
and though there was some improvement this year -- largely as a result
of the relocation to other sites of the fast food element -- it still
lagged some way behind its Scottish counterpart at Ingliston.
However, in future it will be linked to the international food
section, and will seek to include cooking and food demonstration
theatres, making it a more worthwhile stopping-off point for visitors.
Farming will occupy the southern and eastern quadrants of the show
site, with separate focuses for livestock, arable, and machinery, and a
separate agri-business sector tagged on to the north-west of the main
ring.
The rest of the site will be given over to the vast and growing range
of other countryside related pursuits. In addition to the equine
section, these will include farm woodlands, conservation and the
environment, housing and jobs, and gardening and horticulture. It will
include a mini farm of about five acres, as well as a Village 2000
concept.
In other words, like the ATV concept, the show is set to become
steadily more complex in response to the multiplicity of interests in
the rural sector.
Inevitably, there will be a hefty price tag, but officials are adamant
that gate prices and stand rentals will not be pushed up as a result.
This suggests confidence in a business ability to sell the site's
facilities on a year round basis. As they say, time will tell.
Certainly, there was no shortage of money apparent at this year's
show, and the ''feel-good'' factor that was evident at the Highland was
equally visible at the Royal.
The one complaint that everyone -- visitor, trade and stock exhibitor,
and media -- voiced this year, was the increasing intrusion of cars,
vans and lorries throughout the show. Not only was this inconvenient to
the thousands who attended, it increasingly carries with it the risk of
accidents.
In their plans for 1995 and beyond, the Society must tackle this
problem with a will.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article