We will flock you: Rising costs in the farming community
The Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing & Woolhandling Championships is returning to the Royal Highland Show in June after 20 years.
Held in the MacRobert Theatre, more than 35 countries from across the world will battle it out to see who is the fastest sheep shearer and who has the best woolhandling technique.
The highly-anticipated event will feature 39 decorated sheep sculptures that are currently on tour across Scotland in the Flock to the Show public art trail.
The Scotsman is the media partner for both events and the Royal Highland Show is held from 22 to 25 June.
Visit the website at royalhighlandshow.org
Meet the artist
Lola Awada is a multidisciplinary artist producing a wide variety of work using painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and photomontage techniques.
Her major inspiration comes from nature, the interconnectedness of everything with and within nature, and music.
Franco-Lebanese Lola was born in Beirut and was three when war broke out in Lebanon.
She was subsequently brought up in Lebanon, Italy, and France, then moved to London in 1990.
Lola says: “As a huge lover of forests, woods, and anything where there are trees, I very often go for walks there to immerse myself in their
wondrous and healing universe.
“Whenever I go up to Scotland, I make sure to take long walks in the countless regional parks, nature reserves, hills, woods, and splendid forests that abound there, and the trees always tell stories.
“Glen Jay Lun represents the beauty of those magical woods that speak in so many colours, sounds, and shapes.”
Glen Jay Lun
Glen Jay Lun by Lola Awada highlights the economic pressures faced by Scottish farmers.
They face significant economic pressures, including fluctuating commodity prices, rising production costs, and unpredictable weather patterns.
These make it hard for some farmers to make a viable living.
Rural areas may also have fewer job opportunities, particularly in sectors beyond agriculture and natural resource extraction.
In some parts of the countryside, the cost of living may be much higher than in urban areas – especially for basic necessities such as groceries and fuel.
Rural areas may have limited access to resources town and city dwellers take for granted, like healthcare, and services like public transport can be much more expensive.
Also many rural communities depend heavily on a single industry, making them vulnerable to economic downturns in that sector.
Meet the sponsor
H&R Gray Haulage’s sister company, Stirling Trailer Centre, is one of Scotland’s largest Ifor Williams Trailers distributors, providing sales of new and second-hand trailers, parts, servicing and a towbar fitting service.
It is also the only Scottish distributor for Overlander 2 stall horseboxes and – new for 2023 – is one of the few Ineos Grenadier 4X4 aftersales centres.
The firm says: “We have always been a big supporter of the RHS, and it’s good to be involved. It is great to have the opportunity to be able to give something back.
“We want to raise awareness outside of the agricultural sector so people can understand what goes into food production and how the challenges affect the people involved.
“The artist was very clever in capturing the vibrant autumn colours of the Scottish countryside.”
Find your fleece
Locate today’s sheep and access our VIP competition to win free parking, hospitality, and lots more by following this link.