Aled began by telling members who attended the conference held at The Bear Hotel in Cowbridge, what a ‘huge personal honour’ it was to be Chief Executive of the RWAS and that while the show society faced some challenges, they had a clear path set out for the next 10 years.
He told members that the 150-acre estate in Llanelwedd is home to the society as well as a number of other businesses including NFU Cymru. He outlined the turnover of the society and said that about 60% of their income comes from the Royal Welsh Show.
Aled added that as well as the summer show, they also organise the Royal Welsh Winter Fair and the Royal Welsh Smallholding and Countryside Festival, and a lot of their other income comes from membership and outside events including weddings, rental income, dog shows, antiques fairs and the like.
How agriculture has changed at the show
Aled said that agriculture has changed and that in the past the purpose of shows was to improve farm productivity and helping farmers identify superior genes in animals through showing, for example. Now there has been a shift and Aled said that approximately 66% of people who attend the Royal Welsh Show have no farming background. He said it is good for us to ‘bridge the gap’ and we need to address the disconnect between the urban and rural communities.
Speaking to members in Glamorgan, this year’s Royal Welsh Show Feature County, Aled said that the RWAS used to move around but settled in Llanelwedd in 1963. The reason for the feature counties was to get ‘buy in from all corners of Wales’. He said that they also wanted there to be a physical buy in from these counties and they are encouraging the feature counties to invest in the original buildings on the showground. He said that the money raised by Glamorgan during their time as feature county will go towards refurbishing the original Glamorgan Hall.
Challenges of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society
Aled moved on to discuss the challenges the society faces when it comes to climate change. He said that last year was one of the hottest shows on record and that brought with it a number of challenges around animal and human welfare. He also pointed out that there are often polar opposites in temperatures and in July 2022 it was 38 degrees but at the Winter Fair in 2010 it was -17 degrees. He said they have already invested in fans for the livestock sheds but they need the facilities to be able to cope with volatile weather patterns and do their part to become greener.
Finally, Aled added that the vision for the society in this day and age was to remain true to its founding principles of championing the very highest standards within agriculture, but also engaging with the public in order to build a community that understands and values Welsh agriculture.
An update from NFU Cymru
NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader also addressed members and discussed issues around extreme rising costs, lamb sector process, problems in the poultry sector, dairy contracts, the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, tree planting, carbon, tenants, common land, TB, net zero, farm safety and mental health.
NFU Cymru Glamorgan County Chairman Tom Rees said:
“I’d like to thank Aled for coming to speak with us at our county conference. Given Glamorgan is this year’s RWS Feature County, it was great to hear about his plans for the future as well as the challenges facing the society. I’d also like to thank Abi Reader for taking the time to come and speak with us about the work the union is undertaking on behalf of NFU Cymru members across Wales.”