Highlights from the opening day of the Royal Highland Show 2024
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00:00:00Welcome to the greatest show on earth.
00:00:06Over the next four days, 220,000 people will descend on this showground to look at the
00:00:12finest livestock, machinery and countryside skills the UK has to offer.
00:00:24This is the Royal Highland Show.
00:00:54Welcome to the Royal Highland Show.
00:01:21Welcome, everyone, to RHS TV.
00:01:28We're here at the 202nd Royal Highland Show, and we'll make sure to give you all of the
00:01:33highlights of the four days ahead.
00:01:35I've got a few questions in store for what we can expect over the weekend, and who better
00:01:39to answer those than the head of show, David Tennant.
00:01:42David, how's it looking this year?
00:01:45Livestock entries, ticket sales, are they in a good spot?
00:01:47Yeah, we're in a really good spot, Wallace.
00:01:49We've sold out Friday and Saturday now.
00:01:51Thursday was an almost sell-out, and we've still got tickets on sale for Sunday.
00:01:54So yeah, really, really pleased with how that's gone.
00:01:57Excellent.
00:01:58So if you are out there and you haven't got a ticket for Sunday, be sure to check.
00:02:01On the other side of things, a very important part of the show is trade stands.
00:02:05Has the industry come out in force this year, David, to support the show?
00:02:08Trade stands have been fantastic.
00:02:09We're really pleased with the support we got from the industry.
00:02:11We've got over 800 trade stands on the site, and that's sold out.
00:02:15So yeah, really pleased.
00:02:16Fantastic.
00:02:17Can't ask for much more than that.
00:02:18What's the organisation process like involved, David?
00:02:21Yeah, so we've got an incredible team of staff that work year-round on this.
00:02:26So as soon as the show finishes, our debrief starts.
00:02:29We start collecting all the information about what went well, what didn't go well, and then
00:02:33we start churning out how we improve things.
00:02:35It's a constant process of trying to make the show better, keep it relevant, and make
00:02:39sure that it's an event that people want to come to.
00:02:42So will the process for RHS 2025 begin before August?
00:02:48It's already started.
00:02:49So the team are already taking their debrief points from the build, from during the show
00:02:53days.
00:02:54So the team, they're always looking at that year ahead to see how we can make it better.
00:02:58Probably one of the biggest things we're always thinking when we're at the Highland Show is
00:03:02we're spending most of it outside, looking up to the sky.
00:03:05Have we got good weather for the show this weekend?
00:03:07I believe so.
00:03:08The forecast is looking pretty steady for the four days, so fingers are tightly crossed
00:03:11that that stays the same.
00:03:12Excellent.
00:03:13Very good.
00:03:14And if I was to ask you a personal highlight of the Highland Show, what is it?
00:03:17It's definitely on Thursday morning when the rings are all full, everyone's got going,
00:03:21the buzz lifts, and the show's off and running.
00:03:24That's it for me.
00:03:25Yeah, there's some great hype around it at this time.
00:03:27And for those of you watching, the next step is we're going to head over to speak to Young
00:03:30Farmers member Jenny Cannon at the Blue Texel section.
00:03:47Many of us are familiar with the Texel as a wide, big, muscly, white sheep, but we're
00:04:06not so familiar with the Blue Texel.
00:04:08Our expert ringside commentator, Scott, is going to tell us a wee bit more about how
00:04:12a Blue Texel compares to a White Texel.
00:04:14Let's go to Scotland.
00:04:17Thanks, Jenny.
00:04:28So back in here in the judging ring, our judge today in the Blue Texels is Fran Baird.
00:04:34Fran runs the Silston Blue Texel flock, along with Tom and Katie Coles from Northamptonshire.
00:04:39Fran's a pig vet, but his family are based in, at least in Galloway, Eagleshire.
00:04:44And when he was asked to judge the Highland Show, he was extremely honoured because his
00:04:48dad, his father, was a former director of the Royal Highland Show, so he's actually
00:04:51pretty stoked.
00:04:52Fran's going to be looking for a Blue Texel with many characteristic traits.
00:04:57He wants them big, commercial, and he wants them correct, with good sound legs and good
00:05:00sound feet.
00:05:01And he says his champion today is going to be an animal with all of those characteristics
00:05:05in abundance, but above all, a bit of style and X-factor.
00:05:10The Blue Texel originated from the Dutch island of Texel, which is a very exposed and open
00:05:15location.
00:05:16But as a result of that, it's nurtured the hardiness of the Blue Texel breed.
00:05:19They're a very striking sheep and very distinctive, and if you look at the Blue Texel sheep, you'll
00:05:24see that they have a black head, and on the side of the head, they almost have a white
00:05:28halter mark on the side of their face.
00:05:31Their wool is coloured.
00:05:32It should be darker around the neck and the shoulders and get lighter towards the tail.
00:05:37The Dutch Texel is very highly sought after because of its killing out percentage and
00:05:41its fine bone structure.
00:05:42It makes it extremely appealing to people who want to interview hogs with lambs because
00:05:47they have a very easy lambing, as a result of the slight skeletal structure of the lambs
00:05:51when they're born.
00:05:52They're very popular in that respect.
00:05:53Nowadays, there's less people looking after more sheep, and that's a very appealing thing.
00:05:59We've now reached the conclusion of the championship of the Blue Texel section.
00:06:05Our judge, Fran Blair, has done a tremendous job this morning.
00:06:09A fantastic section of sheep in front of him.
00:06:11And we're now at the championship.
00:06:14We are going for top honours.
00:06:16There's the aged ram, the ram lamb, sorry, from the Bambista Partnership Orkney.
00:06:25The male champion this morning, and the female champion being the gimmer from Stefftik of
00:06:30the Pacific Flock.
00:06:36And lined up behind them in the reserve positions, we have Stuart Wood, who's new, from the Skulltower
00:06:41Flock, and the shearling ram from Jane L. Cousar, the Howcomen Flock.
00:06:49And there we have it.
00:06:50The overall champion for the Blue Texel for the Highland Show 2024 goes to the very smart
00:06:55gimmer from Stefftik.
00:06:58Will it be the ram lamb from Bambista?
00:07:00Yes, it is.
00:07:01Yes, it is.
00:07:03The male champion from the Bambista Partnership Orkney, all the way from Orkney, a worthwhile
00:07:08visit down to the Highland Show to get reserve overall champion in the Blue Texel section
00:07:13here today at the Royal Highland Show.
00:07:15Many congratulations there.
00:07:17And we're going to go back to Jenny Cannon now, who's going to speak to our jubilant
00:07:21judge, jubilant winners, Stephanie Dick, and our judge, Francis Blair.
00:07:30I'm with today's judge, Fran Baird, and the overall champion, Stefftik.
00:07:34I'll pass you over to Fran to introduce himself and tell us today about today's champion.
00:07:40I'd first like to thank the Royal Highland Show for giving me the honour of coming today.
00:07:44It's a family that's been associated with the show for a very long time.
00:07:47It's a real honour to do this.
00:07:50My champion today, I saw it whenever it came into the ring.
00:07:53It's a bonnie, bonnie gimmer.
00:07:54It's going to make a great yowl.
00:07:56It's a real sweet gimmer.
00:07:57It's a big gimmer, it's a sweet gimmer, and it's a real feminine gimmer.
00:08:01So I think it's a grand yowl, and it's a deserved champion.
00:08:04Thank you.
00:08:05Steff, how do you feel having won?
00:08:08Can you tell us a wee bit about your opponent?
00:08:10Yes, she's a home-bred gimmer.
00:08:12Her mother, I showed as well, she was actually reserve champion at the Yorkshire.
00:08:16She's from my original foundation, YOW, and she was champion last week at the Scottish National as well.
00:08:22So it's nice to follow on with a champion here as well.
00:08:24So are you going to have some celebrations later on?
00:08:26I think so.
00:08:27You joining?
00:08:28Oh yeah.
00:08:31Thank you Fran, thank you Steff for your time today.
00:08:33Congratulations and well done on a very good job.
00:08:35I did agree with you as a spectator, so if that helps.
00:08:38At least that's two of us then, or three of us.
00:08:41There you go, so enjoy the rest of your day and have a really lovely Highland show.
00:08:46Thank you.
00:09:04This year we celebrate the 240th anniversary of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland, or RAS, which was founded in 1784.
00:09:14They've outlined an ambitious project to showcase 240 stories from people in food and farming through the society and of course here at the Royal Highland Show.
00:09:33My name's Ian Clark and I am Territory Manager for John Deere, covering Scotland and Northumberland.
00:09:41My job is, I'm Territory Manager covering the agricultural dealers which we have in Scotland.
00:09:48So we have five dealers who are responsible for covering the Scotland area and they're responsible for selling and also supporting customers.
00:10:01So we have a good relationship with the Royal Agricultural Society and also with the show.
00:10:06The Highland Show is a key show in our calendar for John Deere UK.
00:10:11We use it to promote and to showcase our latest and our newest equipment.
00:10:17Also we use it to meet customers and we will hopefully also sell one or two over the period of the show.
00:10:26But yeah, the days of people turning up and buying stuff is behind us.
00:10:30Yeah, well like every industry we're getting people and skilled people is becoming more and more of a challenge.
00:10:37Across Scotland in our five dealer businesses we probably have around 350 people working and supporting customers on our agricultural side of the business alone.
00:10:50And those job roles range from technicians, parts assistants, precision ag support people, sales professionals.
00:10:59So we have, you know, a vast range of career opportunities within our dealer network across Scotland.
00:11:06We've had some great success over the past couple of years with promoting careers at the show.
00:11:11So even last year a young person who was along with their family and they showed an interest and we got them to speak to one of our dealers.
00:11:19And they actually signed up to our John Deere Apprenticeship Programme, started last summer.
00:11:24So they'll have been in the business for a year already now.
00:11:26So it's, you know, it's a great example where we, the show was a door opener for that person and for us to engage with them and get them into the business.
00:11:34On behalf of everybody within John Deere UK we'd like to wish the Royal Highland Agricultural Society a big happy 240th birthday and we're hoping for another 240 more.
00:12:04Happy 240th birthday John Deere
00:12:09Happy 240th birthday John Deere
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00:14:04Who is driving the agricultural industry forward?
00:14:07From sheep Farm of the Year to Contractor of the Year, these awards are open to everyone
00:14:12championing our Scottish agriculture.
00:14:17Brought to you by Agriscott, Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and the
00:14:22Scottish farmer, entries are open for the Scottish Agricultural Awards 2024.
00:14:28Culminating in an awards gala night, bringing together over 500 guests, this is a night
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00:14:58Welcome back to the second part of the programme, where for the first time we head to the largest
00:15:09arena on the show ground, which currently plays host to one of the smallest animals
00:15:14at the show.
00:15:20Our first visit to the main rings is the first of the heavy horse sections.
00:15:22No, that's not a mistake.
00:15:24Shetland ponies are indeed classed as heavy horses and over the next three and a half
00:15:27hours, our two judges will be responsible for classing the female, male and overall
00:15:32champion.
00:15:33And what are the judges looking for when they're judging these Shetland pony classes today?
00:15:48Well, we've got two sections here today.
00:15:51We've got the standard Shetlands and the miniature Shetlands.
00:15:54The standard Shetlands are tiny, well, very tiny still, but they can be up to ten and
00:15:58a half hands high and the miniatures up to eight and a half.
00:16:02But both judges in each section are looking for the same breed standards, although one
00:16:07is tinier than the other.
00:16:10And they're looking for pony characteristics.
00:16:12They're looking for small ears and big eyes.
00:16:17But they're also looking for the particular Shetland characteristics, which are if they're
00:16:22short and they're deep and they're strong, they are the strongest equine for their size.
00:16:29And they have to express a lot of power in their movements and their chops have to be
00:16:34really expressive and vital.
00:16:37And they have to show pony characteristics, sort of small ears and broad foreheads and
00:16:42big eyes.
00:16:43And the judge will look to see whether they move straight.
00:16:46So it's all about looking for breed type and that special show, that look at me, you know,
00:16:52I'm a little Shetland.
00:16:53They're very busy and they're very in-your-face a little bit Shetlands, you know, you can't
00:16:58ignore them.
00:16:59So he'll be looking for all those breed characteristics and that special pizzazz that says, I'm going to win, I'm a winner.
00:17:22And how have you picked your winner today?
00:17:49Well, you have to remember that the guys in this ring are very, very experienced Shetland judges.
00:17:56They've bred Shetlands, they've been all over the world judging.
00:17:59I wouldn't want to go in there and judge these because the standard here at the Royal Highland
00:18:03Show is magnificent.
00:18:05I wouldn't like to put my money here.
00:18:07No, I'm not.
00:18:08I'm going to say I don't know.
00:18:15Now our judges, John Cookson and Peter Cairn have to put their heads together and see if
00:18:19they can agree on the overall champion.
00:18:39Congratulations on your win here today.
00:18:40Thank you.
00:18:41Hiya, can you give us a few words about how it feels to win here at the show?
00:18:44I have attended the Highland Show for the last decade and this is my first ever year
00:18:50getting into the championship and being overall miniature Shetland champion.
00:18:54So absolutely delighted.
00:19:03So congratulations on your win here today.
00:19:05It must mean a lot.
00:19:06Can you give us a few words on how it feels?
00:19:07It feels absolutely amazing.
00:19:10It's been 10 years of trying at the Highland Show.
00:19:13It's my first time ever with a first rosette and championship.
00:19:16And can you tell us a little bit about the pony?
00:19:17Yeah, I bought the pony 10 years ago.
00:19:20He's been a very, very successful pony for me.
00:19:22He's been national show stallion champion five times, great Yorkshire show twice, and
00:19:272022 and 2023 he's overall horse champion at the Cumberland Show.
00:19:31It really is a sign.
00:19:32And we believe it's not your only success here in the family today.
00:19:34No, my daughter's got the junior championship with her yearling filly, so it's a right family
00:19:39day today.
00:19:40Yeah, well done.
00:19:41Thank you.
00:19:42One of the most recent successes at the Highland Show has been the Royal Highland Hoolie, a
00:19:56mini live music festival on the Friday and Saturday night, and what a fantastic party
00:20:00to have just outside the showground.
00:20:03I'm joined here by the head of venue, Mark Curry, fantastic surname, it must be said.
00:20:09Mark, we're about halfway through the first day so far.
00:20:11What's your impression so far being of the show?
00:20:14I love the first day of the Royal Highland Show.
00:20:17The buzz is massive this year already.
00:20:19In terms of numbers, the Royal Highland Show on a Thursday is now just as busy as the Friday
00:20:24and Saturday in terms of how we run it.
00:20:26So real buzz out there, a lot of excitement, and yeah, it's been a great first start to
00:20:31the day.
00:20:32I always feel like the hype maxes in the Thursday.
00:20:34Everyone's so excited, ready to go, time to come back to the show.
00:20:38Let's focus on the Hoolie for a minute.
00:20:39What do you think the Hoolie adds to the show?
00:20:42Well, it's a new element that we added last year.
00:20:45We felt that there was enough energy left in the punters and left in the agri-community
00:20:51to go and enjoy a bit of music and have a party and have a bit of fun, because that's
00:20:57what the Royal Highland Show's about.
00:20:59Meeting people, catching up with people, having a drink, responsibly of course, and enjoying
00:21:04a bit of music and catching up.
00:21:06That's what the show's all about.
00:21:07So it basically gave people the opportunity to do that at the end of the night.
00:21:11Now, you're in a position of head of venue.
00:21:14We're organising an event here in the ballpark of 220,000 people.
00:21:18How do you add on top of that, also organising what's essentially a live concert?
00:21:23Yeah, it's good fun.
00:21:25Let me tell you, it's good fun.
00:21:26It was even more fun trying to persuade people that we could do it.
00:21:30Everything we do is ratified by the council and the police, and it all falls within a
00:21:34licence.
00:21:35It's heavily regulated in what we can and can't do.
00:21:37So when we first brought the idea that we're going to lump another piece onto the top,
00:21:42there was some nervousness, but last year showed that we could do it without impacting
00:21:45any of the logistics of the event.
00:21:48The show is in itself massive, 220,000 people.
00:21:53When we're up and running, our population is roughly the sixth biggest in Scotland today.
00:21:57So we're kind of running a small city here today.
00:22:01That's challenging, but we've got a great team.
00:22:04Ultimately, if something breaks, we've got about 20,000 farmers out there who all come
00:22:08in and sort it out for us.
00:22:10Clearly it sounds challenging, but actually it's good fun.
00:22:13It's quite easy to put on at the end of the day.
00:22:15I wasn't lucky enough to make it last year, but I have heard nothing, nothing but positives
00:22:19about it.
00:22:20I'm not just saying that because of who I'm speaking to, but for those listening that
00:22:23maybe haven't bought a ticket yet, maybe not actually fully aware of it, who can we expect
00:22:27to see?
00:22:28Yeah, so we've got a huge line-up this year.
00:22:31Friday we'll be headlined by Tidelines, a great Scottish act, really well-known, and
00:22:36we've got a special guest in, Nathan Evans, so we've got the sea shanty man, he'll be
00:22:41here.
00:22:42He's just released his Scottish national anthem, which is better than the performances of the
00:22:46Scottish national team in terms of how they were performing.
00:22:50And then this Saturday, we've got Derek Ryan returning for the second year.
00:22:53Derek Ryan's a great Irish performer.
00:22:56He played last year and the place was absolutely jumping.
00:22:59So we knew we had to bring him back because we knew that more people would want to come
00:23:03and see the Hull this year.
00:23:04And believe it or not, we've got the famous Rednecks, who sing Cotton Eye Joe, so they're
00:23:10special guests with us on the Saturday, so they're going to be here on the Saturday on
00:23:13a proper knees-up, Scottish style, we'll show them how it's done.
00:23:17That will be bouncing, I'll be getting a crack.
00:23:21And I guess the important question is, can we still get tickets?
00:23:25Absolutely.
00:23:26So tickets have sold really well actually, so you'll need to be quick to get some tickets,
00:23:29I would say.
00:23:30They're flying out the door and I think as people come to the site, they've seen the
00:23:34posters around, they're maybe hearing that their friends have got a ticket for tonight,
00:23:37so tickets are moving really fast.
00:23:39So if you want a ticket, get on to rollerhielandshow.org.uk or the app, and you'll be able to pick up
00:23:44a ticket pretty quickly, but you need to move fast.
00:23:47Well, thank you very much.
00:23:49That's been Mark Currie, the head of venue, talking all things Roller Highland Hullie.
00:23:52Appreciate your time.
00:23:53Perfect.
00:23:54Cheers.
00:24:00Click Extra is valuable to our enterprise as it just gives us that long blowfly strike
00:24:07protection on our sheep for 19 weeks, and it gives us that peace of mind and welfare
00:24:13for the animals for that long period.
00:24:14By the sheep having the protection of Click Extra, it's helping the welfare of the animals,
00:24:20and if they haven't got any blowfly strike and get maggots, then they're a lot healthier
00:24:25and happier.
00:25:29Thanks for watching Roller Highland Hullie, and we'll see you next time.
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00:27:05Welcome back, where we're heading to the cattle rings for our first taste of beef.
00:27:10But, well, not literally. We're off to see the Hereford Judging.
00:27:21We're down here at Ring 13 to see the Hereford Judging.
00:27:24There's a packed crowd in the audience to witness Mr George Harvey make his placings for the male, female and overall championship.
00:27:36The Herefords, as you would suspect, originated in Hereford in England, but they have been extensively shown and bred throughout the world.
00:27:47Back in the 1800s, the Herefords were born and bred and have gained popularity.
00:27:54And they've always been the stalwart of British agriculture, it shows.
00:28:06The Hereford Judging is well underway under the auspices of George Harvey the Judge, a very well-known Hereford breeder.
00:28:14So George is working his way through the classes here this morning and he will end up with a male and female champion.
00:28:27The different categories that we have are females, young animals in the female section, and then working through to cows with calves.
00:28:36Then the same for the males, culminating in the aged bulls.
00:28:41And then the female will take on the male champion to appoint an overall champion.
00:28:51When the animal enters the ring, the judge will be looking for an attractive head with ears up.
00:28:58Look at me, I'm here as it comes into the ring, walking on four good legs, one in every corner, with very little brisket.
00:29:05You don't want them too heavy with the brisket.
00:29:07And a well-set neck, going into a broad shoulder, with a lovely spring of rib and length of body.
00:29:15Going to a level top line and just being able to carry themselves.
00:29:20You know, they know that they're in the show ring.
00:29:23They're like that, look at me, I'm here to win.
00:29:27Well, the four female classes have now been in Gorn and George Harvey's got his top winners back into the class for the female championship
00:29:34to find out who will go against the males to win the overall championship.
00:29:53We're at the final stages of the male championship with all the class winners and reserves being brought in for the judge to pick a winner.
00:30:06A very good show of high quality cattle here and a very difficult decision as to who will come out on top.
00:30:12And that's the overall male champion here in the Hereford section, 2-7-7-3, Dender One Vodka.
00:30:18It's a very good example of the breed having great blushing throughout and size, scale and power.
00:30:22A very good example of the breed here this morning.
00:30:26We're moments away here from finding out who's going to win the Hereford championship here at the Highland Show.
00:30:31It's between Dender One Vodka, the male champion, and Spartans Victoria Secret, the female champion.
00:30:37It's up to the judge now to find out who will be the overall champion here at the Royal Highland Show 2024.
00:30:42And the winner goes to the Hereford championship as the female champion, Spartans Victoria Secret.
00:30:47It's absolutely brilliant to come back this year with her.
00:30:50She was reserved last year and to come and get the overall this year is absolutely fantastic.
00:30:58She's as quiet as they come. She sort of thrives when you put a head colour on there.
00:31:04She's miserable in the shed but you put the head colour on and she wakes up as happy as Larry.
00:31:13They were the best cattle, the most correct cattle that I've seen today.
00:31:18But I must say, in credit to all the exhibitors and all the stockmen, it was a wonderful section.
00:31:26And I'm absolutely delighted with the Hereford Cattle Society and the Royal Highland Show for asking me to judge them.
00:31:40I didn't find it difficult at all because I loved it.
00:31:43Seeing such good cattle, and there was good cattle in all the classes.
00:31:46It wasn't just the champion, she was outstanding, but all the cattle were good today.
00:31:56The Hereford breed is now one of the breeds to be reckoned with.
00:32:01And when you see the quality of what was here today, I think that backs up my opinion.
00:32:13With 25,000 people consistently on the showground at any one time, it's possible to get a little bit overwhelmed.
00:32:20But luckily enough, on the north-west side of the showground, there's a little bit of calm.
00:32:25If you're looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of the packed livestock rings,
00:32:29then maybe the countryside area is the perfect place to come and relax.
00:32:39And once you've had a brew, you can take the opportunity to have a wander around the wide range of stalls and activities which the countryside area has to offer.
00:32:50Tell me about Holland Cooper.
00:32:52So, we are an English heritage brand. We were founded 15 years ago by Jade Holland Cooper.
00:32:59It's wonderful to come back up here after six years away, returning to Scotland,
00:33:04which is really important to us because we have a really close relationship with Scottish Mills.
00:33:08Jade's worked with us for a very long time for all our tailoring pieces,
00:33:11so we've got a really good relationship with her.
00:33:14which is really important to us because we have a really close relationship with Scottish Mills.
00:33:17Jade's worked with us for a very long time for all our tailoring pieces,
00:33:20so it's sort of like coming home to a point.
00:33:23We're a heritage brand specialising in wonderful tailoring,
00:33:27as I said before, using Scottish Mills and tailors she's used for the last 15 years,
00:33:31through to equestrian, through country wear, to active wear.
00:33:35We've recently reintroduced menswear back in November of last year.
00:33:39We can do anything from a trench coat to a dog lead.
00:33:42It's an exciting, special, new.
00:33:44We have a wonderful competition with Morgan Cars, so you can enter the competition
00:33:48and you'll be entered in a draw to win a day's hire of a Morgan Car.
00:33:52Lovely.
00:33:56No, come. Over here.
00:34:00Tell me all about alpacas.
00:34:01So they come from Peru. They've been in this country for about 25, 30 years as a domestic pet.
00:34:06They're farmed in the UK for the fleece and also pretty much for tourism now.
00:34:11I had the opposite hobby when I bought two, ended up with 67.
00:34:13Wow.
00:34:14So now, basically because she was actually hand-reared, we can actually take her anywhere.
00:34:17They're just so easy to deal with, so friendly.
00:34:20There's something about them, the big eyes, the eyelashes, just the personality.
00:34:25Every single one of them's got a different personality, and especially her.
00:34:28I mean, she's like a pet dog now.
00:34:31Lovely.
00:34:32She goes everywhere and anywhere with me.
00:34:34Right.
00:34:40This looks fun. What's going on here today?
00:34:42Well, James, today you can come and you can go paddling on the loch in here at the Royal Highland Show.
00:34:46Wonderful.
00:34:47We have a shrink pot-making factory over there where we use fresh green logs,
00:34:51which we cut open, split down the middle, put a nice dry piece in the bottom, and you get a nice pot.
00:34:56We do everything and anything to do with woodland crafts, really.
00:35:00We take some of the history and using hand tools only,
00:35:04so using fresh wood and hand tools rather than power tools and that sort of idea.
00:35:08We try and keep the old skills alive.
00:35:11By coming here, we try and introduce that to the kids that are coming around,
00:35:15but also to the adults, because a lot of the adults have moved past all that now.
00:35:19They don't realise where their leather jackets come from.
00:35:22This is by far our most popular activity today, is the canoeing.
00:35:25It has been absolutely marvellous.
00:35:27Can anyone have a go at any of these things?
00:35:29This is open and free to everybody, so they can come along and they can enjoy any of the activities that we're running today.
00:35:34There's a couple of young lads from school who have actually been here for almost an hour,
00:35:37which is pretty good when you think of the kids coming off a bus and they want to see everything.
00:35:41They've actually stayed here and they've been working really hard on making their own shrink pots,
00:35:45and they'll get to keep them today when they walk away from here.
00:35:48But if you just want to chill out, there's plenty of space to come and enjoy some fish and chips.
00:35:59Come on lads.
00:36:30Do you know a farmer, worker or business who is driving the agricultural industry forward?
00:36:36From Sheep Farm of the Year to Contractor of the Year,
00:36:40these awards are open to everyone championing our Scottish agriculture.
00:36:46Brought to you by AgriScot, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and the Scottish Farmer,
00:36:53entries are open for the Scottish Agricultural Awards 2024.
00:36:58Culminating in an awards gala night, bringing together over 500 guests, this is a night not to be missed.
00:37:05For information on how to put forward entries into the awards,
00:37:09visit newsquestscotlandevents.com forward slash events forward slash agri awards.
00:37:16We need you to stand up and champion the amazing work and people in Scottish agriculture and enter today.
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00:38:14By the sheep having the protection of Click Extra, it's helping the welfare of the animals
00:38:20and if they haven't got any blowfly strike and get maggots, then they're a lot healthier and happier.
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00:39:05Welcome back. When we last found ourselves at the main ring, it was with the Shetland Ponies.
00:39:10We now find ourselves here with the giants of the equine world, the Clydesdales.
00:39:25The Clydesdale horses are probably Scotland's most famous and admired native breed.
00:39:30Not only are the horses competing today for the coveted Highland Show red rosette,
00:39:34but also to gain a golden ticket for this year's Horse of the Year show.
00:39:48So now we've teamed up with Joe Jefferson and we're going to ask a couple of questions about the Red and Clydesdales competition.
00:39:53So firstly, can you describe how the competition runs?
00:39:56Well, yes. There are two judges. One will be assessing ride and one will be assessing confirmation.
00:40:0350 marks for each. It is marks because it is a Horse of the Year show qualifier.
00:40:08So all the horses come in and once they go on the right rein, because don't ask me why that's traditional,
00:40:13they come in, they go walk, up walk, they walk round on the right rein,
00:40:18so the judges looking, both judges looking at the walk, and then they'll go into trot.
00:40:22Both judges looking at the trot to see the horses that are balanced, that are active and trot, very important for heavy horses.
00:40:30And then they canter, so they canter all the way round, and then they will actually come and change the rein,
00:40:36and go on the left rein, go back into canter and then show an extension on the left rein.
00:40:42And then the judges will bring them in some sort of an order.
00:40:45It might not be the final order, but it will be the ones, sort of the top six.
00:40:49And then the ride judge will ride them and he will give them the mark out of 50.
00:40:57He's looking for manners, very important. You're riding a tonne of horse,
00:41:04so it's very important that the horse is going to listen to what you're telling it, obviously.
00:41:09The saddle is taken off and the horse stands up in front of the confirmation judge
00:41:14and then walked away and trotted back so the confirmation judge can see whether the horse moves straight or not.
00:41:20And can you explain why a ticket for the Horse of the Year show is so coveted?
00:41:26Well, yes, the Horse of the Year show is the accolade, if you like, of a lot of equine competitions throughout the year.
00:41:34It's held at the NEC in October. Everybody wants to get the golden ticket to get to the Horse of the Year show.
00:41:40And they are very hard fought for. The horses that get to the Horse of the Year show, a la creme de la creme,
00:41:46they've had to beat a lot of competition to get there.
00:41:49And to win a golden ticket here at the Royal Highlands show is especially special.
00:41:55Brilliant. Thank you very much, Joe.
00:41:57Judging went very well. I was very pleased with my cow judge. It's nice to get on together.
00:42:13The whole class was a tremendous show of Clydesdale horses. It was a great show.
00:42:22There was no real bottom end. There was nothing really that you would think, well, I don't want to take this home.
00:42:34As my co-judge says, it's a pleasure to have somebody that you actually get on with in the judging ring.
00:42:39So I really enjoyed my day.
00:42:47The judges have made their final decision. Let's go and see who's won.
00:42:52Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the Clydesdale and the Horse of the Year is a living heavy.
00:43:02This is Highlander and Highlander.
00:43:13Well, winning the Highlands show is obviously one of the best, one of the most prestigious classes in the whole country.
00:43:19It's wonderful to come in and you're competing against all your own breed. So it's great to sit here.
00:43:23And I had two horses in the top three, which is fantastic. And it's the third year in a row that we've won it.
00:43:28So to be here again and standing at the top is fantastic.
00:43:31He rode really well. He was very responsive to my leg. He was a little bit cheeky on the go around, but both of us did like him on the go around.
00:43:38I don't mind a bit of cheekiness.
00:43:40You see the picture of him riding around there. In fact, the top three, the top three could have been any of the top three.
00:43:47He's just a baby, so he's coming together, but he's a bit cheeky and hyper at times, but very good.
00:44:04Scotland's Larder in the Lowland Hall provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Scottish producers.
00:44:11And in the Food for Thought theatre, we have various cooking demonstrations, lectures and also the judging of the Scottish Dairy Championship.
00:44:19The Scottish Dairy Championships are an opportunity for producers to showcase the quality and the diversity within the products that we make.
00:44:40We have everything from soft cheeses to hard cheeses.
00:44:45Artisan mix of cheeses. We have cultured products from yoghurts to cottage cheese as well.
00:44:51We have butter in that. Then we go all the way through to ice cream products.
00:44:58Judges come from all over. They are the pinnacle of what they're doing.
00:45:02Basically, they're the best of the best. They see the products and they know and listening to them.
00:45:07We obviously, as stewards and what we do, we have a list of what the products are and the description of them.
00:45:13And when you listen to the judges talk about them, once they've tasted them, it's almost as if they could read it.
00:45:20I mean, they've got it spot on. They know their products and it's wonderful listening to them about it.
00:45:25The second one you're tasting is 8-2-2-0. So this is an 18-month-old traditional block cheddar.
00:45:33Vintage, about 18 months.
00:45:42Hands up for all those Ulalas.
00:46:32Vintage, about 18 months.
00:46:34At the end of that judging process, we then bring in somebody to assess the product.
00:46:38And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:41And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:43And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:45And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:47And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:49And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:51And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:53And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:55And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:57And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:46:59And then we do a little bit of a review of the product.
00:47:01At the end of that judging process, we then bring in somebody different, a different judge.
00:47:05And he will take basically what's come out as the best of the best from all the different products.
00:47:10And he will have the hardest decision out of all of that.
00:47:13Because he's got to decide which one is the best dairy product.
00:47:16Which will be very exciting.
00:47:31And we'll bring you the newest addition to the Scottish Dairy Championships, milk judging in tomorrow's show.
00:47:34We'll be back after the break.
00:48:01Find Scottish enlightenment every day with the Scotsman. From fisheries to
00:48:06forestry, agriculture to rewilding, Scotland's rural sector impacts us all.
00:48:10Our coverage will enlighten your understanding of this vital sector.
00:48:14Having grown up in the countryside, writing about this topic, it's not just
00:48:19a job, it's a passion. Our team of specialists cover all aspects of
00:48:24Scottish life. Find your Scottish enlightenment. Join us in digital and
00:48:28in print today.
00:48:58We're going to take on the world.
00:49:28We're gonna take on the world.
00:49:35We're gonna take on the world.
00:49:58We're gonna take on the world.
00:50:28We're gonna take on the world.
00:50:59It's important to remember that the show is just as much about the people as
00:51:08well as the animals. One of the aims of the RAS 240 project is highlighting the
00:51:13people behind some of these wonderful animals.
00:51:28I'm Ali Jackson. I run Kevin Watret's farm here at Moll's Castle down at Annan, where we
00:51:45have British Blues. So we view British Blues and limousines and a handful of
00:51:50shorelily cattle. Sheep, we run Blue Texels, Dutch Spotteds, Suffolks and a handful of
00:51:59Rouge. Why Dutch Spotted? How did you get into them? It was just, I seen them
00:52:04online, I think it was way back in 2015. A breed from Holland, which I already had
00:52:10breeds from Holland, Beltex, Blue Texels and they were different. I thought
00:52:16there'd be a market for them in the UK and yeah, started off with two ewes and from day one we had a good go.
00:52:22The first year we took them to the Yorkshire show and other shows
00:52:27were champion with the ewe and yeah, just a breed that's went from strength to
00:52:32strength. We've won the Highland two times now, I think it is. One of the
00:52:37biggest years was two years ago. We were fortunate enough to win male champion and
00:52:43female champion and overall, which then they went into the interbreed pairs and
00:52:48we won overall interbreed pairs at the Highland show. So yeah, that was a big
00:52:52bucket list achievement to be honest. Talk to me about the two that you're going to be
00:52:56showing this year. We've got a two crop ewe. She was out last year as a ewe. She was just
00:53:03young enough, not maybe mature to compete as well as I'd liked, but she was
00:53:08fortunate enough to win our class at two of the major shows and also we've got a yearling
00:53:14gimmer, which you know, she's a young gimmer, but you know, she's really flashy when she's out and
00:53:19just the type of animal we're trying to breed and compete with. We're fortunate that we've
00:53:24showed under the judge before. Last year he judged the Royal Welsh, so we kind of know what he's looking for and what he breeds.
00:53:32You know, he likes them to be flashy, good on their legs, very correct in their mouth, but you know,
00:53:38they have to have a good carcass. They're a carcass breed. And yeah, in my opinion, she ticks a lot of the boxes.
00:53:45So someone will have a better one, no doubt, but you know, we're happy enough the way she's going to now, so here's hoping.
00:53:57The cattle are my main job. You know, that is my full time job. Cattle are come first and that's why we do go to the Highland with the cattle.
00:54:03I take the sheep because we're going with cattle. So I've been down here, what, 15 years and
00:54:08Kevin's been fortunate enough to win the Highland Show, I think now 10 times. And last year myself, I won the British Blues
00:54:14with my first bull that I took to the Highland last year as well. So yeah, it was a good day. It was a good day.
00:54:24So I've been a Lifetime member. My grandparents bought me it, but you know, I've never missed a Highland Show since I've been born.
00:54:32I think when you drive up to the Highland Show, it's the excitement. It's, you know, are the stock good enough this year? And yeah, just the Highland Show is a big part of our life.
00:54:44And how important is that connection through RAS to the wider agricultural industry?
00:54:50I think for us personally, it's a massive marketing opportunity. You know, every year we try to do well, and it adds value to our stock.
00:55:01It wouldn't surprise me if we come home with one less animal because we've sold it at the Highland Show.
00:55:19It's been a few weeks now since we filmed on Farmer Valley Jackson, and you can bet there's been a lot of time and effort gone in to making sheep look this good for the show here today.
00:55:31So how good is Ali Jackson at breeding the Dutch Spotted Sheep?
00:55:34Ali is a pretty accomplished, rounded individual when it comes to being a stocksman. He's a pretty good at what he does. He's got a good eye for stock, so it's a testament to how good a breeder he is.
00:55:45The first year that Dutch Spotted were here, Ali and Hannah, his wife, they won the Dutch Spotted pairs within the breed section. The first year they had them here, and then they went on to win the interbreed pairs that year, so how good is he? He's doing not bad, I would say. He's doing pretty well.
00:55:57And can you tell us a little bit more about the breed, as it's not that common?
00:56:01They were reared and cultured on a low input system, which has actually served them very well, because in the UK now, they're very well placed to be produced and reared on a low-cost production system, which is a very easy care.
00:56:12They can be run in big numbers with low inputs, and I think that's why, as the industry is changing, as the sheep industry is changing globally, people are going to have to have more sheep looked after by less people, and these guys are going to have to have more sheep looked after by less people.
00:56:26And these guys are very well set up for that. They are a sheep with a high meat-to-bone ratio, so the maximum meat yield off them is very good, and they've got a high carcass grade, so you'll get a premium on the carcass as well, so they're really well sought after.
00:56:40And what are the key characteristics that our judge is looking for in the ring here today?
00:56:44So I spoke to Liam Campbell, our judge today, and he basically summed it up beautifully and said that we should be looking at animals that are structurally sound, built on sound feet like any building, and from the bottom up, the foundations have got to be correct feet, a leg in each corner, and a correct body, a good length of body with a good carcass hung on it as well.
00:57:00And as he said himself, after that you're then looking for the breed traits, so you're looking for those three colours, the whites, the blacks and the browns, threaded throughout the colours of the sheep, really alert, the ears don't have to be too cocky, just at sort of 10 to 2, of moderate length, and then the end game I suppose is looking for a Dutch spotted with a deep muzzle, because that defines how much grass that animal can take in.
00:57:22And obviously, the bigger and deeper the muzzle, the bigger the intake, the more weight they're going to put on and finish they're going to put on.
00:57:30You've now had a chance to look at Ali's sheep and compare it to all the other sheep on show here today, do you think he's in with a good chance of picking up a rosette?
00:57:37I think Ali will be there or thereabouts, it just goes back to the fact that Ali's not dictating breed type, in many ways he's driving the breed type, the Dutch spotted in the UK now, so first and foremost he's going to have a fashionable sheep, that always helps.
00:57:50Secondly, he's just about got a couple of sheep in every pass, the numbers game helps too, so if he gets to the final line-up and he's got one or two, if he's first or second place in each of the passes, he's got a potential to be a champion in reserve, and I think Ali's pretty well placed to be there or thereabouts in the red, white and blues on the day I would say.
00:58:20And he's done it again, another Highland Show result for the Jackson family. Ali's not actually here at the minute as he is away showing his British Blue cattle, but Hannah has done a tremendous job displaying the sheep on behalf of the family.
00:58:35Congratulations on your win here today Hannah, how does it feel to have won at the Highland Show?
00:58:42It's always a great achievement to come to the Highland, it's always tough competition here, it's great to win a class, especially with so many Dutch Spotteds here, it's good for the breed, it's been a good day.
00:58:57Of all the sheep you were showing here today, is that the one you thought would be your champion?
00:59:01Yeah, she was probably the one that we came with high hopes for, so that makes it a wee bit sweeter certainly, but no, it's been good, it's been good.
00:59:11And in tomorrow's show we'll find out how Ali got on showing his British Blue cattle.
00:59:16And that brings us to the end of day one of Royal Highland Show 2024. Be sure to come back tomorrow for highlights from various island breeds of sheep and crowning the best dairy cow on the show. Bye for now.
00:59:31Music