Earlier today the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society became the first major organisation to officially pull their show for 2021.

In a statement released to the press by the society they said they said it would be impossible to hold such a large event this summer and that “any restrictions on numbers and the associated two-metre social distancing rules are major barriers to the viability of events, such as the Royal Welsh Show”.

They also noted that they hope that their winter fair will be a bumper event before returning to “new normality for 2022”.

All eyes will now look to the other royal shows such as Balmoral and the Highland Show which, as of yet, have not been cancelled. The Highland Show remains scheduled for late June while Balmoral has moved to a later date in late September.

This will also put pressure on Ireland’s leading livestock shows, with Tullamore National Livestock show set to make a decision in the coming weeks.