Head-strong sheep stampeded across the busy path at the Royal Highland Show. Exhibitor’s clutched wool and leads to maintain control, but their tight-lipped wills couldn’t help the stray sheep or two from breaking loose and taunting them.
The sheep conga line was my first glimpse into Scottish rural life, and it reminded me of my own home in rural America. I approached the Royal Highland Show as a 26-year-old fresh-to-Scotland immigrant expecting to find endless differences between here and home.
I expected these endless differences in the way that all people do. However, despite a significant increase in tweed, bagpipes and raincoats on offer, there were far more similarities than differences between Scottish and American rural life and agriculture.
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Perhaps it’s the biggest takeaway from this story: there is always more that we share in common than what separates us. The second biggest takeaway is that the Scottish agriculture community is full of people with a lot of grit, determination, passion and heart. Every single person was more than happy to share their knowledge and kindness with me on Thursday.
My first thought as non-native was to find the sheep – a quintessential product of the UK. I discovered row after row of sheep, each breed more unusual and unique than the rest. Some were as soft and fluffy as teddy bears, and others literally reminded me of devils with four horns upon their head.
The variety and quality seemed almost endless. Andrew Morris, from Logie Farm in Fife, said the Royal Highland Show is hugely important to the agricultural industry because it allows the community to meet, socialise and compete – which ensures the enduring quality of livestock and the products they create.
“If I could get across one thing, it would be the amount of effort and time it takes to produce this quality of product and livestock,” said Morris. “Sometimes we get labeled as bad guys but we are trying to produce the highest quality livestock and products to feed the nation and the world. At the end of the day, we are trying to keep people fed.”
Rosie Barraclough and Lynn Barbaur were both exhibiting Berrichon sheep, and they were kind enough to let me pose with Newark West Point – a large, rather strong sheep described by Lynn as “full of character.” The two women were pulling up and trimming the wool on sheep, powdering their legs, and perfecting the sheep’s appearance before their big moment in front of judges.
As Lynn and Rosie worked together to make West Point look his very best, it was overwhelmingly obvious that a lot of care and love went into maintaining the animals. Cows followed naturally on from sheep, and like the tourist I still am, I headed straight for the Highland Cow division, expecting pocket sized hairy cows with a meek nature.
Instead, stock exhibitor Mo Middleton introduced me to an absolute behemoth cow with a booming base bellow to make any tuba player jealous. In the cookery stalls and areas, some of the finest produce and meat in Scotland was on offer.
Stahly Quality Foods, a four-generation family business selling black pudding sausage and haggis, offered me my first taste of black pudding – a moment I had long delayed since moving to the UK. A combination of oatmeal, onions, spices and blood, the family said it’s a great product that has working class roots and helps to utilise every part of the animal.
The first thing I noticed was the surprisingly meaty flavour, and I was pleased to enjoy the rest of my portion feeling like a proper local. The sheer quantity and diversity of exhibits and workers is what truly baffled me about the Royal Highland Show. Eleanor Harris, the natural capital leader for Galbraith, was proud to explain the breadth of the Scottish rural economy.
“Think farming, forestry, and even renewable energy,” she said. “It’s historically a small part of the national GDP, but in terms of carbon and in terms of resources, the rural economy is massively important, and it’s the lifeblood of Scotland in a lot of ways.”
My farm girl tendencies may have biased me towards the agricultural side of the Royal Highlands show to start, but plenty of other sectors were on display. From education to forestry to government, industry leaders were out en-masse to educate, teach and wow.
David Robertson, Director of Investment and Business Development for Scottish Woodlands, was happy to explain the role of forestry in Scotland. He explained the importance of developing the forestry sector and working inter-sectionally with agriculture and other industries to build a better future for Scotland and for the UK as a whole.
“I don’t think people understand the importance of the forestry industry in the context of the rural economy,” he said. Robertson said the UK imports 80% of its lumber supply from external sources, making the market vulnerable to outside influences such as the conflict in Ukraine and price increases in America.
“Forestry is uniquely placed to address Scotland’s climate and bio-diversity needs as well as produce the resources the UK and Scotland needs to replace concrete and steel,” he said. Overall, the Royal Highland show was both exactly what I expected it to be and much different.
I expected to meet a lot of passionate and welcoming people, but I wasn't expecting the intersectionality of the Scottish rural community. It was also a lovely surprise to see how many enthusiastic young farmers and young professionals were involved. Despite financial and cost hurdles facing young and new farmers, the industry is not struggling to attract the youngest generation to the game, unlike the state of farming in America.
All in all, the Royal Highland Show embodied the merging of tradition and history with innovation and progress to make both the planet and Scotland a better place to live.
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