Highland Show axed as Covid-19 crisis deepens
The country’s biggest farming and countryside event – the Royal Highland Show – has been cancelled due to the Coronavirs outbreak and will not go ahead as planned this year, the organisers have confirmed.
Directors of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), who met via a video conference yesterday, said the decision to cancel the event – which annually attracts 200,000 visitors and has an economic impact in the region of £65 million – was in line with the Scottish and UK government’s policy and guidance on gatherings and social distancing.
Set to be the association’s 180th show, the news marks only the second time the show has been cancelled since the war years, with the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic marking the only other cancellation.
“It is with deep regret and huge personal disappointment that I confirm the cancellation of the 2020 Royal Highland Show,” said the society’s chairman, Bill Gray.
He said that while the plans for the country’s premier showcase for the food, farming and rural industry had been at an advanced stage, given the recent and ongoing developments, the directors had taken the only course of action open to them: “Thankfully, the sector is nothing but resilient and while this will no doubt test us, I am confident that some good will come from what is a bleak and worrying time for us all. To that end, we are calling on the industry and wider partners to work with us to support each other to ensure we weather the storm.”
The organisation’s chief executive, Alan Laidlaw, said it would be naïve to underestimate the massive financial impact- reckoned to be in the region of £4.8 million – which the cancellation would have on the charity:
“But with the industry’s support, I have little doubt that we can, and we will, get through this,” said Laidlaw.
“In these unprecedented times we must focus on the wider issue, support the vulnerable in our communities and ensure that Scottish Agriculture plays its essential part in achieving this.”
The society said that exhibitors and sponsors would be contacted shortly with full details – and that anyone who had purchased advance tickets should contact the RHS’S ticketing partner, Ticketmaster for a full refund.
“On behalf of RHASS directors, I would like to thank members, exhibitors and sponsors who have contacted us with offers and expressions of support. There are tough financial times ahead for RHASS, but over time and with the backing of our members and sector partners, we will recover,” said Laidlaw.
● It has also been announced that the National Beef Association’s Beef Expo 2020, which was due to take place in Darlington on 28 May, has been postponed, while an announcement on the National Sheep Association’s proposed Scotsheep event which was set to take place near Dundee on 3 June will be made later in the week.
Ayr Show, the first of the major country shows, set to take place on 9 May,has also been cancelled, with many others likely to follow suit.