The entries for livestock classes have already been coming in thick and fast for this year’s Royal Welsh which takes place at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, from July 23 – 26.

Over 5,000 schedules were packed by hand and posted to potential exhibitors at the end of last week, with entry forms flooding back for the 1,500 classes by return of post.

As always, the full schedule of classes and special awards are attracting entries from far and wide. Last year saw nearly 8,000 entries coming from across Wales, the UK and the rest of Europe, and it already looks like the society will get the same numbers again for this year’s show.

In a bid to keep the programme of classes up-to-date, there has once again, been a number of changes to this year’s schedule:

Bleu Du Maine National Show: The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) is delighted that the Royal Welsh Show will this year host the 2018 Bleu Du Maine National Show.

Oxford Sandy and Black Pig section: Following on from the introduction of some new pig sections at the 2017 show, this year the RWAS has introduced another new section for Oxford Sandy and Black Pigs.

More stalls and pens: The RWAS has increased the maximum cattle stalls allocation from five to 10 in both the dairy and beef sections.

“Cattle are always a big attraction at the Royal Welsh Show, and by increasing the number of stalls available to exhibitors, we aim to increase the wonderful display of cattle at the show,” said Will Hanks, assistant honorary director of cattle.

To coincide with the increased number of pig sections at the show, this year there will also be no restriction on the number of pig pens an exhibitor can book.

Welsh Part-bred section: The RWAS is pleased to confirm that both the Barren Mare and Two / Three year old classes have now been split by height. More details can be found in the schedule.

The Equine Project: “I am sure that exhibitors will notice the positive changes that have been made, and are continuing to be made to our equine facilities. Having previously increased the parking area, we have now completed the erection of 94 new permanent concrete block stables and have refurbished 170 stables with new fronts and internal kick boards. There will also be a temporary exercise area for equines at this year’s show, which will be made permanent if it proves a success,” said Harry Fetherstonhaugh, show director.

Key dates to remember:

Closing date: April 25

Last day for substitutions: April 25

Last day for refunds: June 29

The schedule and entry forms are available to download from the RWAS website: www.rwas.wales