UK Tour and RASC Conference Insights

November 5, 2024

A report by Reece Jerrett 

In June, I had the opportunity to travel to the UK to attend the Commonwealth Agricultural Conference representing Agricultural Shows Australia and the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia. Since I would be traveling close to 15,000km from Perth to Edinburgh, I thought it would be remiss of me to not flesh out this trip and take the opportunity to visit UK agricultural shows, farm shops and some rural villages to gain a true experience of just how the UK does agriculture.

By flying into London first and hiring a car, I was fortunate enough to line up the trip perfectly with the Lincolnshire Show. Some attractions at the show included a garden show and beach, live music on the Bandstand and cooking demonstrations, fly fishing (in the their very own dam), an apiary and honey competition, over 500 exhibitors/stallholders who also put on a show of their own, from local craftspeople to the county’s largest companies. In conjunction with all of this, there were also 2,920 livestock and equine entries! Across all the animal entries there was a huge variety of breeds on display (Some of which I had never heard of before). It was clear that the community supporting this show truly valued their rare and heritage breeds of animals, not just those that are optimal for the current market, and I believe their 60,000 visitors across the two days of show, were a testament to that.  

The farm shops from England to the Scotland were bussing with activity, not just with tourists, but from I believe were regulars too. Many of which seemed to be collaborative effort between several producers within a region, becoming a daily one stop shop for those wanting the paddock to plate  experience and lifestyle. For those familiar with Western Australia, think of the Bunbury Farmers Market (just slightly scaled down). One thing that stood out to that I saw at several farm shops was the milk refill stations – essentially just milk vending machines that customers could buy milk by the litre, using their own container.   

Reece at the Highland Show

The conference was perfectly timed with the Royal Highland Show, which allowed those attending to experience the incredible show! It was just that, incredible. Similar to the Lincolnshire show in the sections and competitions that were on offer for the patrons to enjoy but on a scaled up site. The show really drove home the message of agriculture and its connection to the urban communities. This to me was made clear by having each of Scotland’s major supermarkets at the show, proudly advertising to the public the great Scottish produce that they have on their shelves and where in Scotland that produced was grown or processed. Another standout distinction I found at this show, as well as the Lincolnshire Show, was the complete absence of amusement rides and show bags (albeit there was still a ferris wheel) and still enticing more 220,000 patrons to the show across their 4 days.  

Australian Delegation

The 30th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) Conference, themed “Growing a Commonwealth,” took place from June 21-26, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. This biannual event, supported by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, gathered agricultural leaders, experts, and innovators from across the Commonwealth – with a large contingent of Australians proudly waving our nation’s Royal Agricultural Society’s flags.  

RASC Conference 2024

The conference featured a diverse program that included a pre-conference tour, the Royal Highland Show, and a series of sessions and seminars focusing on resilience and innovation in agriculture. Highlights included keynote speeches, panel discussions, and forums for both CEOs and Next Generation delegates, emphasising sustainable agricultural practices, fostering international collaboration, ensuring that say relevant in ever evolving world and using our own voices to tell the accurate story of our agricultural businesses & rural communities.  

An insight into the NextGen conference days: 

  • SESSION 1 – RELEVANCE
    • Purpose – Why we do, what we do. The purpose of societies, links to food production, income for individual members, and raising the profile of countries.
  • SESSION 2 – ADAPTABLE
    • Preserve – how do societies pivot and adapt to a new climate and policy changes? Big picture.
  • SESSION 3 – SUSTAINABLE
    • What do societies need to do to be sustainable for the future? Financially, environmentally, people (volunteers, members), etc.
  • SESSION 4 – CONNECTED
    • People – human stories, growing societies, supporting rural and agricultural economies. 
Reece Jerrett at the RASC Commonwealth Agricultural Gala Dinner with Michelle Jerrett

Throughout my time in the England and Scotland I believe I garnered plenty of new knowledge and ideas that I believe can be valuable to Australian Agricultural Societies. Not only knowledge, but connections too. Connections that I see lasting for decades to come. An example of one of the those connections is one that is close to Australia, I’m pleased to now have the opportunity to build the connection between the Australian and Papua New Guinean heritage poultry breeders through the West Australian Poultry Association – sharing knowledge and experiences with regards to exhibiting, breeding, genetics and associations.  

I would like to thank Agricultural Shows Australia, the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia and the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth for providing me with this incredible opportunity and experience.