The Royal Show - Exhibiting

It is with great pleasure and a considerable amount of humility that I find myself writing this forward for the 160th and final Royal Show.  The pleasure flows not only from the enormous honour of being asked to serve as President of the RASE but that by doing so I am able, in a very small way, to put something back into a Society which my late husband, Ian, held in the highest esteem, serving as its Chairman from 2002 until his death in June 2006.
 
Like everyone, I know the Royal Show 2009 is going to bring the most potent mixture of feelings. It is the 160th show in a run broken only by World Wars and animal disease. It will be a great celebration of all that is good in the food and farming world – and yet, sadly, it will be the last Royal Show.

Since 1838, the RASE has stayed true to its founding principles, Practice with Science, encouraging innovation on all fronts and always looking ahead in order that it can serve the needs, not only of today but also the world of tomorrow. This year’s Show will be no exception as Stoneleigh Park plays host to the very finest livestock, innovation in crops for food and energy, a clear focus on environmental needs, equestrian competition of international quality and educational opportunities that will bring 10,000 schoolchildren through the gates in four action-packed days.
 
Today, we operate in a global market, highly dependent on new technology to drive large scale, commercial units. We are part of a food chain that becomes more sophisticated and more international with every passing year. Specialist, technical events – many developed and organised by the RASE – are now needed to fulfil its needs.
 
As this year’s President, I wish visitors of all ages a very special and enjoyable day.  Celebrate an event that has been at the very heart of the Agricultural world for160 years but perhaps also take a moment to imagine the very first Royal Show. You won’t have to look far to gain a sense of the enormous distance that agriculture has travelled in those 170 years.
 
And remember, this may be the last Royal Show but it is the start of a new generation of progress and innovation; a launch pad for the Royal Agricultural Society of England to focus and  enhance its contribution to the development of rural England and the broader rural economy.
 
Mrs Adel MacNicol