It’s showtime and our reporter Jessica Amos and photographer Peter Williams will be there all week to bring you the best of what’s on. Keep updated throughout the week with our rolling coverage.
Wednesday is known as Welsh Cob day at the Royal Welsh and these animals, and their handlers, impressed the main ring crowds - photos in our gallery here.
More sporting competition at the Royal Welsh, with Brecknock YFC in action in the rugby 7s. Take a look at the photos here
Emily takes art prizeBUDDING artist Emily Bevan will see her design become the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's official Christmas card this year.The 11-year-old entered the society's annual Children’s Art and Design Competition while a pupil at Mount Street Juniors School in Brecon.Emily was declared the overall winner and also won the nine to 11-year-old category. She received a cash prize of £30, and her school received a cash prize of £200. Her winning design will be on sale at the society’s Winter Fair in December. Emily collected her prize from competition sponsors Western Power Distribution's stand at the showground. Other winners from Mount Street Junior School in this category included Aaliyah James, aged 9 who received a second prize of £20 and Hellen Liang, aged 10 received third prize of £15. Caleb Vater of Christ College, Brecon and James Houlsby of Ysgol Dolafan, Llanwrtyd Wells were highly commended in the same category.Mount Street Juniors also won the following prizes in the five to eight-year-old category Josh Davies, aged eight received a cash prize of £30, while Isla Burgess, also eight received a second prize of £20 and Imogen Mackenzie, eight, was awarded a third prize of £15. Reuben Price from Builth Wells Primary School was awarded a highly commended in the same category.Posters of the prize-winning entries have been displayed at Western Power's stand during the show.
Trecastle YFC have been competing in the tug-of-war at the show. Have a look at our picture gallery here
Success for Megan
Megan Prothero, 22, from Libanus took first prize in the ewe lamb class with her Badger Face Welsh Mountain - Torddu. Megan said: "I've been showing for seven years with my family. These are my own sheep so I'm really happy with how well they've done."
Kate takes first
Kate Hover is celebrating first place in the ram lamb class with her badger face Welsh mountain ram lamb. She said: "We're very happy with how the show is going so far. My partner Elvet Jones is here too with the Radnor hill sheep and we're both having a good show so far."
Kerry's in the pink'Kerry' the Kerry Hill sheep is rapidly becoming "the most photographed animal in the show" as she attracts crowds from all around. Kerry is here in pink today because 11-year-old Tom Evans came up with the idea of painting a sheep pink and taking her to the show in order to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. Tom said: "I came up with the idea because my nanny had pancreatic cancer several years ago and was given the all clear following treatments that were made available by cancer research so I wanted to give something back." Tom's grandmother, Julie Jones, is here with him at the show helping to keep an eye on Kerry the sheep. She said: "She must be the most photographed animal in the show. Everybody wants her." Tom is from a farming family and his Dad Chris Evans said: "He's a good boy and this was all his idea. We have a flock of Kerry Hills and we always show at about 12 shows a year so it's a great way to raise awareness." The family are also showing other members of their flock here at the Royal Welsh Show and have so far won overall champion in the Kerry Hill class and will now be going into the interbreed class. If you would like to support Tom in his fundraising bid, you can donate online via his just-giving page which is called tom's-pink-sheep.
Europe debate continuesIssues from the EU referendum continue to be debated at the show, with a Westminster government minister joining in.George Eustice, the minister for farming, food and marine environment, has spoken at the NFU Cymru's EU Referendum Panel.Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, who is also a farmer and who campaigned for Brexit, also appeared on the panel.
Retail on the agendaRetailers are meeting with a Welsh Government minister at the show today.The Welsh Retail Consortium will meet Lesley Griffiths, cabinet secretary for environment and rural affairs to highlight the retail industry’s ongoing support for local supply chains and investment in communities across Wales. Sara Jones, head of the consortium, said: "Today’s meeting will be an opportunity to continue our excellent relationship with the cabinet secretary’s department, identifying further ways in which we can support one another to ensure long term sustainability for the retail industry and the supply chains we work so closely with. "Many of our members are in attendance at the Royal Welsh Show, this is a key event for us in terms of engaging with both our customers as well as our producers.”
Richard has eye on the future
BEEF farmer Richard Roderick has been crowned as this year’s winner of the M&S ‘Farming for the Future’ awards.Richard, of Newton Farm, near Brecon, won the innovation award for the methods his farm has adopted in the farming of beef livestock that he provides to M&S.Steve Mclean, M&S head of agriculture and fisheries, said: “We are delighted to honour Richard as one of this year’s Farming for the Future award winners. Every year it becomes even harder to choose the winners, as each individual on our shortlist has gone the extra mile to set them apart from the competition. “I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Richard and his team for the forward thinking approach and dedication to farming excellence. The commitment to innovation, best practice and future-proof farming is incredibly impressive and is testament to the effort and drive he has shown.”
Crews tackle blaze
A HAY lorry at the Royal Welsh Showground has been destroyed by a fire.
Around 25 firefighters tackled the blaze, near a campsite area, from around 1am this morning.
Reports said a series of explosions could be heard, which it’s thought were either tyres or cylinders on the lorry.
The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue service said a large amount of haybales were on fire but it had extinguished the blaze and all its crews had left the scene before 8am.
Welsh Farmhouse Apple JuiceJohn and Margaret Morris started their family run apple juice business about nine years ago. They received their Royal warrant in 2015. They were joined on their stall in the Food Hall by their daughter Jenny, aged 19. John said: "We've been quite busy since our warrant came through. It has made a difference to our business profile. This week we've had our first ever export and it's gone to Japan."The future of this small family-run business looks bright. John said: "We are hoping to do a few m ore exports now that we're up and running with them but we don't want to expand much bigger. At the moment it's big enough for our family to manage especially with Jenny away at university."
Success again for Mike and StephenA Texel Ram joinlty owned by Mike James and Stephen Abberley, has been in the ribbons this week at the Royal Welsh Show for the second year running. He came first place in the Texel Age Ram class. Mike, who farms at Neuadd-Blaen Duhonw, said: "We're very pleased with him again this year, last year he was crowned male champion, and we'l be selling yearlings off him at the NSA sale in Builth later in the year." Stephen farms at Cwmllu, Trallong, he added: "He has done well to be placed first on his second year in the ring."