Agnes ready to judge as entries grow

National authority on goats will be on duty for landmark online event next month

The word in the goat world is that enthusiasts from Cornwall to Northern Ireland and across Scotland are already preening their entries for judging in the online Scottish Agricultural Show.

Nationwide respect for judge Agnes Aitken’s knowledge of “the poor man’s cow”, her boundless energy as chairwoman of the Grampian Goat Club, and her involvement in the committee of the British Goat Society and the Scottish Goatkeepers Federation means she is well known as an authority in show rings – and her opinion counts.

On her 17-acre smallholding near Stonehaven, Agnes keeps 31 goats – a mix of British Alpines, British Saanen and pygmies. She takes her judging duties extremely seriously, as her video on the scottishagriculturalshow.co.uk website makes clear.

She said: “The show ring is the shop window for all breeders and as a judge you have a huge responsibility for shaping the national herd by selecting animals into prize positions. The animals judges place as prizewinners are what new breeders aspire to producing.”

Agnes will judge classes for dairy white adult females, dairy white goatlings, dairy coloured adults, dairy coloured goatlings, Pygmy adults, Pygmy goatlings, Boer adult females and Boer goatlings. All you need to do to enter is complete a form and include one image of your animal and the link to a short Youtube video of it walking.

The show on July 3-4 has attracted the support of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society, organisers of the Royal Highland Show, and the main sponsor is EQ Accountants. The goat section is being sponsored by property and land agents Bell Ingram.

Each entry requires a £5 donation via Just Giving in support of the Royal Highland Education Trust charity, and entries close at midnight on June 19.

Pictures: Scott Baxter/ Chris Sumner/ Shutterstock. Agnes Aitken has a wealth of experience and will judge the goats at the Scottish Agricultural Show.