Royal Cornwall Show becomes latest agri event to be cancelled

Written by Rachel Martin

The Royal Cornwall Show has become the latest in a series of large agricultural events to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year the event was attended by 110,000 people.

A statement by organisers, Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association (RCAA), read: “In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and recent updates from the UK Government, it is with great disappointment that the Council of the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association (RCAA) has announced the cancellation of the 2020 Royal Cornwall Show that had been planned to take place later this year on September 10-12.

We have left this difficult decision for as long as we feasibly could, having previously postponed the show from June to September, in the hope that it was possible to stage it then.

“However, with the current conditions on social distancing and possible Government restrictions on large events for the foreseeable future, it is just not possible to host a safe event for all those involved.

“Our main obligation and priority is to protect the health and safety of our visitors, members, traders, exhibitors, staff and all those involved in preparing and delivering the show, which means that this is the safest, and only decision we could make.”

“We would also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the key workers at this time, literally putting their lives on the line to save ours,” it added.

Chris Riddle, secretary of the association, explained it was a difficult decision to make.

“We are hugely saddened by the decision to cancel this year’s Royal Cornwall Show, and know this will be of great disappointment to many,” she said.

“We hope that our visitors, members, exhibitors, and traders, understand this difficult decision we have had to make, and we thank them for their patience at this time.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2021, where we can hopefully celebrate being together once more, celebrating the support we have shown each other through this global pandemic.

The RCAA team will be in touch with ticket holders, exhibitors, and traders, over the coming days to explain their options and the next steps.

Earlier this month, the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society announced it would cancel Balmoral Show, having previously postponed it from May 13-16 until August.

The National Ploughing Association in Ireland announced on Friday (May 8), that it would also cancel its flagship show. The National Ploughing Championships are a cornerstone of the Irish farming calendar, attended by around 300,000 people.

Other cancelled events in Britain include the Royal Yorkshire Show, Royal Highland Show, Three Counties Show, and Royal Welsh Show among dozens of others.

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