CATTLE farmers from all over the world will be heading to the Great Yorkshire Show when it becomes the only agricultural event in the UK to be part of a ten-day world congress tour.

The show has been chosen to host the delegations of farmers from Europe, Australia, America and Canada as they tour the UK to exchange ideas of best practise.

This is part of the Charolais Cattle World Congress as the breed celebrates 60 years and the Shorthorn Breed Society World Congress as it celebrates 200 years of the breed.

The international visitors will stay in hotels across Harrogate and York.

Charles Mills Great Yorkshire show director said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the two World Congresses to the Great Yorkshire Show where they will see the best cattle in the country on display with the finest exhibitors. This is a real coup for us and we are proud to be part of their visit to the UK.”

The Shorthorn Society marks its 200th anniversary this year and the Congress will give breeders from as far afield as Australia, Canada and Argentina the opportunity to see the best example of British cattle in the show rings when they visit on the Tuesday.

Guest of honour will be the Patron of the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society and of the Shorthorn Society of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, The Princess Royal, who will attend the Bicentenary Celebration.

The Shorthorn Congress celebrates 200 years since the formation of its breed register, making it the oldest registered breed in the world. Two hundred years on, there are approximately 6,500 animals registered annually between the beef and dairy societies and both sections will be on show.

The anniversary will be marked with 200 Shorthorn cattle at the showground. As well as attending the show on the Tuesday, which will feature a Dairy Shorthorn Celebration Parade, the Beef Shorthorn judging and special awards and presentations, the breeders will visit Shorthorn beef and dairy farmers across Great Britain and attend the Shorthorn World Conference on the Friday.

On Wednesday evening, there will be a celebration dinner held in the Pavilions of Harrogate and on Thursday the National Show of Dairy Shorthorns will take place.

The Congress Committee Chairman, James Playfair-Hannay, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the World Conference and celebrating the foundation of the breed and we are looking forward to seeing our overseas friends once again, particularly after the last two years, when travel was so difficult.”

The Charolais Cattle breed celebrates its 60th anniversary and is hosting its own World Congress at the Show. Around 100 overseas delegates from Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Estonia, France and Ireland will be attending to see the best examples of the beef breed, which always attracts high entries at the show.

Chris Curry, the Charolais Congress Chairman, said: “Our members always enjoy showing at The Great Yorkshire but this year will be really special, with the addition of our overseas visitors and a chance for everyone to catch up again.”

The Great Yorkshire Show has become a four-day event after changes were implemented at the 2021 show due to Covid 19 regulations.

Tickets are on sale now for the show which will run from Tuesday, July 12, to Friday, July 15. Tickets must be purchased in advance, there will be no ticket sales on the gates. The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days.

For more information and tickets, visit www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk/ticket-information.