Judging under way at Smithfield Fair

2 December 1999



Judging under way at Smithfield Fair

By Vicky Houchin

LIVESTOCK judging is under way at the first Royal Smithfield Club Winter Fair, with a total of 211 entries at the Lichfield Auction Centre, Staffordshire.

The fair, which marks a major swing by the Royal Smithfield Club away from the traditional showing of finished animals, is aimed at commercial livestock.

The livestock section and meat exhibition of the fair have received animals from as far afield as Scotland and the south-west of England.

The sale was aimed at commercial producers, as well as specialist show entrants, said Geoffrey Burgess, chief executive and secretary of the Royal Smithfield Club.

“We want to encourage commercial producers who dont have time to prepare for shows, but still have the quality,” he said.

Dawkins International, the abattoir and distributor, has agreed to purchase all the livestock, with the exception of the suckled calves, at an undisclosed price.

After the animals have slaughtered, any premium from carcasses will be passed back to the exhibiting producers, said the company.