Fatstock show in Uppingham takes place
It's being held in temporary penning in the middle of a Rutland town
Last updated 27th Nov 2024
Uppingham's market place will once again be taken over by sheep, pigs and cattle today for the annual Christmas Fatstock show.
It's going ahead despite previous concerns that it could be impacted by cases of blue-tongue disease among livestock.
Charlie Mason leads the organisation behind the show, and tells us the disease affects most of the eastern half of the country:
"We have got this this problem with the disease called blue tongue in the UK at the moment, which is it's a non infectious disease. So it isn't passed from animal to animal by bodily fluids contact anything like that.
"It's carried by a midge and the midges are blown from here from they've got it pretty badly, I think in Belgium and Holland the midges have blown over on the east wind and so it's now affecting pretty much if you take a line from Whitby to Dorset way - East of that is a designated blue tongue zone.
"Defra haven't stopped animal gatherings, which is why we're able to have the show.
"But the limitation is that if you're in a bluetongue zone, you can only accept animals from within the zone, and if you're outside the zone, you can only accept animals from without.
"But luckily most, if not all, of our exhibitors are from within the zone. We are in the blue tongue zone, and I'm I'm informed that defer of no intention of reducing the size of the zone in the near future, although the cold weather will kill the midges.
"Generally speaking now, it shouldn't be such a problem, but the zone will remain in for observation."
There are three judges, ne for cattle, one for sheep and one for pigs.
The judging takes place this morning.