Signs of optimism for Royal Highland Show - but what about the many farmers who make it what it is?

The positive outlook on the year ahead from the society behind the Royal Highland Show has certainly been refreshing in what has been a year of uncertainty and economic struggle for much of the agricultural sector.

Society behind the Royal Highland Show said its annual financial figures are optimistic, despite the current challenging economic climate (Lisa Ferguson)

Figures from the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland’s (RHASS) AGM saw its overall income reach £11m in the last year, a £2.8m increase on 2021.

However, the loss for the year (ending in November 2022) reached £1.2m, up from £0.8m in 2021, which was a sharp reminder of the impact of the tail end of Covid restrictions, and of course the rise in prices.

Nevertheless, RHASS bosses, albeit realistic, remained optimistic for the year ahead.

Royal Highland Show bosses say they are optimistic about the year ahead (pic: Andrew O'Brien)

Chairman Jim Warnock said the society knew the last year was going to be difficult recovering from Covid. He was also realistic about trading in the next 12 months, saying “reduced household income and the increased cost of doing business remains very real.”

But with the return of the the Royal Highland Show last year, which contributed £39.5m annually to the Scottish capital’s economy – more than Edinburgh’s Hogmanay – Mr Warnock said he is confident that its appeal will remain for this year, and that the RHASS “will continue to be a financially secure organisation supporting rural Scotland.”

The optimism is a sharp contrast to a general feeling of anxiety and uncertainty about the years ahead from many in the farming sector.

Earlier this year, a National Farmers Union Scotland survey, which had the largest response (555 respondents) to a survey the union has done before, found farmers and crofters see the lack of clarity in future agricultural policy as the greatest threat to their business.

The union said despite a few more words of encouragement from Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon at its AGM in February, the Scottish Government “needs to quickly bring forward much-needed detail on

new policy measures that farmers and crofters will have to adopt from 2026 if they are to deliver on the food, climate, nature and rural development ambitions.”

Bosses behind the Royal Highland Show, which attracts more than 190,000 visitors a year, said they are optimistic about the year ahead. It would be good to get Scotland’s farmers saying the same. After all, it wouldn’t be much of a show without them.