Farming still at the heart of Ingliston event

With a record-breaking crowd through the gates of the Royal Highland Show, the organisers yesterday said that keeping farming very much at the heart of the event was the key to its success.

More than 190,000 entries were logged over the course of the show’s four-day run at Ingliston on the outskirts of Edinburgh, beating even last year’s attendance figure – but the show’s top team were keen to point out that there had also been a record number of livestock and horses at the event and a full house of trade stands and exhibitors.

Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) chairman Keith Brooke said he was pleased that, alongside the new record attendance, the show remained one of the few which continued to attract a full attendance of farm machinery manufacturers and dealerships – meaning that the stands and avenues remained filled to capacity.

“And despite – or more likely because of – the uncertainty and apprehension over Brexit, the show attracted a large number of political heavyweights from both the Scottish and UK governments – giving individuals and organisations a unique opportunity to talk to the people making important decisions on our future.”

The organisation’s chief executive Alan Laidlaw said that the new temporary members’ pavilion – hired in at a cost of close to a quarter of a million pounds – had proved to be a hit with those using the facility, adding that this positive reception would be built into the society’s on-going review of future provisions.