The Royal Welsh Winter Fair will go ahead despite Bluetongue virus concerns

This year’s Winter Fair is set to go ahead, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society has said, despite an English fair being cancelled due to virus concerns.

The premier event in the winter agricultural calendar in Wales will take place in Llanelwedd, even though the English Winter Fair in Staffordshire has been cancelled this year due to concerns over the Bluetongue virus.  

The virus has been detected in various parts of the east of England with DEFRA enforcing restricted zones in over a dozen counties. 

There have also been two isolated cases in north Wales, caused by the movement of animals before restrictions came into force.

The RWAS Winter Fair will take place on Monday, November 25, and Tuesday, November 26.

A Royal Welsh Agricultural Society spokesperson said: “We were saddened to hear of the cancellation of the English Winter Fair due to the ongoing Bluetongue situation and we can only sympathise with the event organisers and all exhibitors concerned. 

“Currently, there are no restrictive zones in place in Wales and the Royal Welsh Winter Fair is going ahead as planned.

“We are, of course, monitoring the situation very closely and taking advice from our veterinary professionals. As we enter the final stages of our event build up, we will endeavour to keep everyone informed and updated.

“We look forward to seeing you all in Llanelwedd at the end of November.”

While restricted zones have not been put in place in Powys yet there have been around a dozen cases in Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), Shropshire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Anglesey, Gwynedd, North Yorkshire and Cornwall. 

The virus which affects both sheep and cattle is highly infectious and can be devastating to livestock.