Royal Highland Show to display over 800 exhibitors

The Royal Highland Show, running from June 20th – 23rd 2024, promises to offer an unforgettable experience with a wide array of trade stands featuring everything from artisanal crafts to cooking demonstrations and agricultural machinery. With over 800 exhibitors spread across the 110 acre site, it is set to surprise and delight show-goers with this year’s theme being ‘acres of epicness’.

For the foodies: 

Stuffed full of food and drink, the show offers boundless opportunities to sample Scotland’s finest produce. There are also cookery demos on offer in the Food for Thought Cookery Theatre, with some of the country’s top chefs including Head Chef at The Globe Inn, Fraser Cameron, FutureChef Winner, Phoebe Lawson, and Head Chef at Benugo, Emma Clark-Szabo, to name a few. There will also be a huge choice of food vendors serving everything from haggis neeps and tatties to freshly prepared fish and chips and from lobster rolls to Greek gyros. 

With Scottish staples such as Mrs Tilly’s, Mackies of ScotlandInnis and Gunn and Highland Park, there are options for those with a sweet tooth or looking for a tipple to tide them over. The world-renowned Johnnie Walker whisky will have a pop-up bar showcasing their vintage truck, ensuring the taste of Scotland’s quintessential whisky is shared with visitors. There will also be a Taproom Bar from Innis & Gunn.  

For the shopaholic: 

For the avid shoppers, a vast range of retail opportunities await, spread across numerous shopping villages, offering clothing, shoes, crafts, gifts, pet supplies, art, toys and a range of premium shopping outlets which can be found at the Countryside Village. Event attendees also might be surprised to find the Renewable Village, offering a variety of sustainable products and services including wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, tidal, biomass companies and more.  

This year the Home and Gift Hall has had a layout revamp and now includes the Scottish Handcrafts Championships. There will be a number of notable clothing retailers available such as Beaumont & Bear, Elm of Burford and Lanx Shoes. Hoggs of Fife, known for its hand welted country footwear, will also be offering a 20% discount on all items for RHASS members.  

For music lovers: 

For those wearing their dancing shoes, the West Stage line-up is not to be missed. Performances to suit all music tastes from folk rock and swing to reggae and opera will take place in addition to daily ceilidh sessions.  

Additionally, tickets are available to purchase for the Royal Highland Hoolie presented with Farmer’s Bash which is back with eight live folk and country music acts performing on the evenings of Friday 21 and Saturday 22 June. From viral sensation Nathan Evans, Scottish folk pioneers Tide Lines and the eclectic sounds of the Peatbog Faeries, the diverse range of sounds offers a little bit of something for everyone. 

For families:

Experience a world of fun and creativity at the Royal Highland Show, where kids go free! Explore and discover activities linked to food, farming and the working countryside under one roof at the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) Discovery Centre. Circa Alba’s exciting mix of movement and circus skills, including juggling, parkour, capoeira, along with professional face painting and Annie the alpaca and her family from the Alpacas Trekking Centre, will let little imaginations soar. Dive into abstract art where kids can engage in animal-themed arts and crafts, creating personalised keepsakes to take home.  

For the farmers: 

The Royal Highland show offers farmers the chance to see some of the best livestock and machinery available up close and personal! As well as the latest labour, time and money-saving gadgets being on display at the RHASS Technical Innovation Awards.

The Scottish Association of Young Farmers (SAYFC) will also be present throughout the show, with visitors encouraged to stop by and experience what it means to be part of Scotland’s largest rural youth movement.

David Tennant, Head of Royal Highland Show, said: “This year’s Royal Highland Show is bigger and better than ever and it’s all thanks to the wide variety of exhibitors. The diverse array of trade stands is a true celebration of everything Scotland has to offer in agricultural heritage, artisan crafts and rural communities.

“We are on track for a sold-out show, so if you’d like to experience a mix of entertainment, sample Scotland’s wonderful larder and see the very best in livestock, from the traditional to the unexpected, it’s worth purchasing your tickets now. It’s not to be missed!”  

Explore a wide variety of products and services at the Royal Highland Show. Mark your calendars for June 20-23, with limited tickets available please visit https://www.royalhighlandshow.org/ to book your spot. 

Programmes for the show can be purchased from the Official Royal Highland Show Merchandise Shop opposite the Main Ring clock tower or from roving sellers throughout the site.

Please drink responsibly – UK Chief Medical Officers recommend men do not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily and women, 2-3 units daily.

For more information please visit www.Drinkaware.co.uk

Morrisons acts to support British pig farmers with cut price deals for customers

Great seasonal pork deals for customers during November –

Morrisons is lending a helping hand to struggling pig farmers by reducing the price our customers pay for pork and increasing the amount of meat we prepare. The measures are aimed at helping to alleviate the current pressures faced by pig farmers. 

Morrisons is cutting the price of seasonal cuts of pork – such as joints, chops, bellies and steaks – to encourage customers to support farmers and buy more pork products.  

Throughout November, the following special prices will be running across Morrisons Market Street counters:

ProductPrice per k/g
Morrisons British Bone In Pork Loin£3 per k/g
Morrisons British  Bone In Pork Loin Chop£3 per k/g
Morrisons British Pork Shoulder Steaks£2 per k/g
Morrisons British Bone In Pork Shoulder£2 per k/g
Morrison British Bone In Pork Belly£3 per k/g
Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Butcher Counter Sausages (six pack)£1 per pack
Morrisons Thick Pork Sausages (20 pack)  £2 per pack

Britain is a significant exporter of pork. However, in recent months a labour shortage of skilled workers, as well as increased difficulties in exporting, has left the industry with a growing backlog of pork.

Morrisons understands the issues faced by farmers because we are a producer of meat as well as a retailer. Alongside the industry, in recent weeks, we have already changed our meat cuts because stock is growing larger on farms before reaching our meat preparation sites. 

We have also invested in automating our sites and are adopting new ways of working to enable us to take up to 3,000 more animals per week.

In addition, to speed up the process and get pork to our customers quickly, our in-store butchers will now be receiving more bone-in pork joints from our own sites – and then using their skills to finish the products ready for customers in store.  

Morrisons is committed to only selling 100% fresh British meat. As the only major UK supermarket with our own meat preparation sites, we are continuing to invest in our butchers – both in our sites and stores. This September, 75 colleagues joined our 18 month butchery apprenticeship programme. 

In addition to supplying pork to our own stores, throughout November our meat sites will also be supporting the wider pig industry by supplying additional pork for sale outside of Morrisons. This meat will either be exported outside of the UK or sold domestically to smaller butchers as whole carcasses. 

Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said: “The British pig industry is struggling at the moment. As a meat producer as well as a retailer we believe we are well placed to help.

“We will therefore be offering our customers great deals on pork throughout the month, as well as trying to help the whole industry to prepare more meat.”

Rob Mutimer, Chairman of The National Pig Association, said: “The National Pig Association is delighted that Morrisons continues to support the British pig sector with their proactive approach in finding solutions to help alleviate the significant difficulties our farmers still face. Anything retailers can do to promote British pork to their customers is warmly welcomed.”  

Morrisons is British farming’s biggest supermarket customer with our own Livestock and Produce Teams. We work directly with farmers, and take meat, fruit and vegetables direct from farms to our meat, fruit and vegetable preparation sites around the UK. 

Seasonal pork recipes from Morrisons chefs can be found on:

https://my.morrisons.com/porkrecipes 

National Craft Butchers (NCB), the trade body representing quality independent retail butchers, launched their first ever survey of British Butchers in July 2021, reaching out butchery businesses across Britain. The results are now out and demonstrate just why butchers are the first choice for consumers concerned about climate change.

Sustainability and provenance are growing concerns for consumers and for British Butchers alike. Reducing food miles and supporting regenerative farming practices and the rural economy is ‘meat and drink’ to the majority of craft butchers:

  • 87% of respondents prioritise local produce in their shops
  • 6 out of 10 prefer to sell Grass fed, Organic or Free-Range meat
  • 38% will buy animals live direct from market for full traceability
  • Two-thirds rely on a small local abattoir to supply their meat

Over the last 18 months shopping habits have changed, with the survey revealing that

60% of butchers have experienced changes in their usual customer profile since March 2020 – the biggest change being the arrival of younger shoppers who want to shop locally and care about where their meat comes from.

Red meat produced in the UK is amongst the most sustainable in the world, so consumers can be confident that British livestock production is part of the solution not the problem. Recent information from AHDB, QMS and HCC points out that 65% of farmland in the UK is unable to sustain food crops but is ideal for grazing cattle and sheep and that the UK Climate is also ideal for growing grass for animals to eat.

In other words, ‘It’s not the cow but the how.’

Richard Stevenson, Technical Manager of National Craft Butchers commented: “As COP26 continues the results of our first Butchers Survey are a timely reminder that British Craft Butchers, like the farmers that supply them, take climate change seriously.

“They sell high quality, responsibly farmed British meat because they believe it’s the best, and so, in increasing numbers, do their customers. ”

National Craft Butchers encourage customers who care about where their meat comes from and how it is produced to visit their local craft butcher.

Bestselling author to host Magical Beast Workshops at Edinburgh Zoo on Saturday

Environmental focus next up for the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour

From Monday 27 September to Saturday 2 October, the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will visit primary school pupils across the country as it continues its series of virtual events.

The tour will focus on the environment, with talks from conservationist, vet, TV presenter and author Jess French, author and rewilding pioneer Isabella Tree with d illustrator Allira Tee, and adventurer and bestselling author Abi Elphinstone.

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing.

During the pandemic, the tour has been delivered virtually, live streaming into classrooms and living rooms across Scotland and the rest of the UK, with educational watch on demand video content viewed over 100,000 times.

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will host virtual events on the environment for schools across Scotland, with an audience of around 5,000 pupils.

Jess French will talk to young people about the world’s incredible forests and how they can get involved and learn how to protect them. She will share educational extracts from her book: ‘Let’s Save Our Planet: Forests: Uncover the Facts. Be Inspired. Make A Difference.’

Isabella Tree and Allira Tree will discuss insights from her book: ‘When We Went Wild’, a joyful, sustainably printed picture book about two farmers who decide to let their farm run wild, inspired in part by Isabella’s own experience at the world-renowned Knepp rewidling project in West Sussex.

Isabella will also show pupils around the farm via a virtual video tour before reading the book and sharing how she and her husband turned a loss-making farm into a sustainable, wildlife enterprise. This will be followed by an interactive drawalong with the book’s illustrator Allira Tee, who joins the tour live from Melbourne, Australia.

Author Abi Elphinstone will virtually visit P4–7 pupils about her real-life adventures, living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia to kayaking through the Norwegian fjords.

Abi will also discuss her Unmapped Chronicles series: ‘The Crackledawn Dragon’ – a voyage across a secret kingdom full of silver whales, fire krakens, and underwater palaces. She will share how her own experiences and adventures in the natural world inspire her magical realms and beasts, as well as showing pupils how easy it is to leap into stories of their own.

Authors Live will also return on Thursday 30 September with Abi Elphinstone. schools across Scotland can sign up for P4–7 classes and watch the event live from their classrooms. There will also be a chance to ask the author questions during the event through a Twitter Q&A.

Magical Beasts at Edinburgh Zoo

For budding young writers and animal lovers, Abi Elphinstone will also host Inventing Magical Beasts workshops at Edinburgh Zoo (Budongo Theatre) on Saturday 2 October, starting at 10am and 11.30am.

The event is included in the price of zoo admission, and families are invited to come along and meet the author. Abi will demonstrate how young people can invent their own magical beasts, using animals from Edinburgh Zoo as inspiration. There will also be signed copies of the author’s book available to purchase.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is focusing on the environment, a topic that young people are incredibly engaged with.

“We’re pleased to have  experts in both conservation and rewilding joining the tour. The pupils are sure to learn more about their planet and how to protect it for many years to come.

“We hope families can join our event at Edinburgh Zoo, where Abi Elphinstone will help inspire the next generation of budding writers.”

Beccy Angus, Head of Discovery and Learning at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the wildlife conservation charity which leads Edinburgh Zoo, said: “It is wonderful to welcome Abi Elphinstone to the zoo.

“As a wildlife conservation charity, education is at the heart of what we do. We hope this event will help our visitors learn more about the spectacular species in our zoos and around the world, and inspire the next generation of conservationists.”

UK Sikhs urge Dominic Raab to raise human rights violations against farmers in India

Sikh Organisations and Gurdwaras (Temples) from across the UK have written to The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Rabb, expressing their grave concerns about the human rights violations against farmers and journalists in India:

‘We urge the Foreign Secretary to express our collective concerns on behalf of the British people to India’s Government and raise the matter at the United Nations.

“Security services are indiscriminately detaining and charging protesting farmers and journalists with false charges of terrorism, sedition”

‘The Indian security services are indiscriminately detaining and charging protesting farmers and journalists with false charges of terrorism, sedition, and anti-national conduct. Internet and phone services have been restricted to prevent independent reporting of the situation on the ground in Delhi. Several journalists and farmers have been arrested or gone missing, many protestors have been illegally detained and tortured.

‘The Indian Government is in breach of various UN resolutions and international laws regarding the right to protest, access to information, and free press. The British Government has raised concerns around this right several times concerning the Chinese Government’s crackdowns on peaceful protests.

‘As citizens and residents of Great Britain, we call on Dominic Raab, as our Foreign Secretary to raise these matters urgently with the Indian Government and his counterparts and urge the Indian authorities to act with restraint and resume peaceful dialogue with the farmer groups.

‘We urge the UK Government to pursue this matter with the appropriate authorities and forums at the United Nations. As a Government, which is committed to the rule of law and human rights, there is a positive obligation on the British Government to continuously raise and monitor matters that concern the violation of fundamental human rights anywhere in the world.’

UK Government to support Scottish rural businesses at this year’s Royal Highland Show

The UK Government will show its support for Scotland’s agriculture, food and farming sectors when it takes part in the 2019 Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh later this week. Continue reading UK Government to support Scottish rural businesses at this year’s Royal Highland Show