Serious side to agricultural shows

Aug 15 2008 by Pete Wishart, MP

WELL, the weather may not have been kind, but that has not deterred the many fantastic outdoor events around Perthshire this summer.

We are in the midst of the agricultural show and highland games season and the public’s appetite for these fantastic events show no signs of abating.

From Kinnloch Rannoch to Kinross, the Big County has about the biggest concentration of these events in Scotland, and each one has its own intrinsic personality and character. From the haggis eating competition at Birnam, to the collection of the clan Menzies at Aberfeldy, there’s something unique about all of them.

Our games and shows remain a great success because they are a great day out for the family and they are enjoyed by our domestic and international visitors for being something peculiarly Scottish. A great deal of effort also goes into these events with a strong community identity always a feature. And what could be better to get outdoors with the backdrop of Highland Scotland as the venue?

Having served Perthshire for over seven years, I am course a veteran of these events. By the time we get to the last Perthshire games in Pitlochry at the end of September I can just about judge the piobaireachd and the highland dancing myself! And from the kick off at Blair Atholl at the end of May, the wellies and the waterproof are a regular feature of the Wishart coat stand!

The agricultural shows also serve a serious purpose with some real livestock business done.

They also have the equally important role of promoting agriculture, horticulture and the countryside in general.

They also allow the public to get up close and personal to the best examples of our farmyard beasts.

And this is important, as the public very rarely get the opportunity to see what goes on in the countryside and on our farms.

Our highland games can also be as competitive as anything you’ll see in Beijing. Woe betide the visitor who gets in the way of a ten-year-old highland dancer determined to win that top prize in the hornpipe, or the mother who has been up since the crack of dawn getting her prepared and transported!

No, long live this great tradition I say, and if you’ve not managed to get along to a games this year, there are plenty of opportunities still around this summer. Go and enjoy!