Royal Cornwall Show 2019
9th July 2019
The Royal Cornwall show in mid May experienced extremes of weather across the three days, but that didn’t put off its loyal Cornish following.
The Reserve Interbreed Sheep Champion, PH & GA Cornelius’ Scotch Black-Faced shearling ewe.
The Royal Cornwall show in mid June experienced extremes of weather across the three days, but that didn’t put off its loyal Cornish following. Report and pictures by Anthony Mosley.
The 2019 Royal Cornwall Show brought a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘climate change’. The three day show, which took place on its showground close to the Atlantic coast of North Cornwall at Wadebridge, opened under blue skies and beautiful warm sunshine, which then turned to torrential rain and a biting chilly wind, forcing the Grand Parade to be cancelled on the second day and had visitors struggling to get out of the car parks.
None of this deterred the loyal following of the Cornish, however, when it comes to Royal Cornwall. Since 1793, generations of the agricultural community in this part of the country have supported their county show and it is viewed as not only playing a major role in farming life, but also as an important part of Cornish culture.
A fine line-up of Limousins in the ring.
Livestock entries
Entries of livestock across all breeds and species were once again very strong. The Supreme Interbreed Beef Championship went to the Alford family from Cullompton, Devon for its Limousin heifer Foxhillfarm Naomi. There seems to be no stopping Mike and Melanie Alford who, together with their daughter Charlotte, picked up at least four major championships at the show this year, including the British Blue Breed Champion and the Interbreed Sheep Championship with their Charollais shearling ewe. The Reserve Sheep Championship went to PH & GA Cornelius from Camelford, Cornwall for their very smart Scotch Black-Faced shearling ewe.
The Interbreed Dairy Championship went to the Ley family from Holsworthy, Devon for its 4th calved Holstein cow Thuborough Freda 520. Standing a very close Reserve were the Ravenhill-Whites from Umberleigh, North Devon with their 2nd calved Jersey cow Whitenhill Rileys Coleus.
For the first time ever, the Royal Cornwall Show hosted a competition for ‘Teams of Five Cattle for both Dairy and Beef exhibitors’. This is to be the grand spectacle of future cattle competitions, but unfortunately it was somewhat marred this year by the difficult weather conditions. The British Blues won the Beef Teams challenge and the Holsteins triumphed in the Dairy section.
As always there were some excellent entries of pigs, the Supreme Interbreed Championship going to PG Snell & Sons from Yeovil, Somerset for their Large Black sow Sock Doreen 209.
The show hosted a short visit from the new Minister of Agriculture, Robert Goodwill, who met and talked to local farmers and industry leaders.
The winning Interbreed Beef Team of Five, the British Blues.
