End of an era Thin times for fatstock mean the show is over
A century-old rural tradition has come to an end with the last fatstock show held in Maidstone.
The name ‘fatstock’ may not be instantly recognisable. It is an event where farmers would bring their best animals to exhibit and sell to the butchery trade.
But changing shopping habits have seen it go the same way as the town’s once-weekly livestock auctions.
John Butler, of Lambert and Foster auctioneers, who ran the fatstock shows, explained the history.
He said: “At the turn of the last century, virtually every village would have its own weekly livestock auction, where butchers would buy the animals for slaughter.
“That shrank to just livestock auctions in the larger towns, such as Maidstone, but now there is only one livestock auction for the whole of the county – at Ashford.”
Different
Maidstone’s livestock auctions were held first at Lockmeadow, in the town centre, and then for six years from 1995 at the Detling Aerodrome site. But although Lambert and Foster held its last livestock auction for slaughter at Detling Aerodrome back in 2001 the firm continued with the yearly fatstock, held since 1914, and something different from the weekly auctions.
Mr Butler added: “Traditional butchers liked to buy the best carcasses, at a premium, and display the rosettes in their shops, but the growing influence of the supermarkets has diminished interest even in the livestock show.”
The company decided that, having reached the 100th show, it was time to stop. However, one tradition is to continue – a post-show charity dinner at Maidstone’s Grangemoor Hotel.
Mr Butler said: “To be honest, for some years there have been rather more people coming to the dinner than the show, so we shall continue with that.”
This year’s meal raised £3,500 for the Kent and Sussex Air Ambulance.