Harrison & Hetherington, organisers of Borderway UK Agri Expo, has today announced that the 2021 event will go ahead, following the anticipated end of lockdowns. If the Government’s roadmap is successful, this highly acclaimed winter livestock showcase will take place on Friday 29th October 2021, at Borderway, Carlisle. Regularly seeing in the region of 900 head of livestock being shown, Borderway UK Agri Expo is one of Great Britain’s largest and most prestigious livestock events.
Like all other large-scale events across the country, Borderway UK Agri Expo was cancelled in 2020. Harrison & Hetherington have concluded however that for this coming year the event can go ahead, given that appropriate rules are in place and adhered to. Showcasing some of the very best beef cattle and sheep from all corners of the UK, Borderway UK Agri Expo is key date in the diary of livestock farmers, and Harrison & Hetherington is confident that a way can be found to successfully host the event’s 15th edition.
Scott Donaldson, Managing Director of Harrison & Hetherington, says: “It’s great to be one of the first major show events of 2021. Show after show was cancelled last summer, and all the showing enthusiasts will be looking for somewhere to go. We feel that the timing is right, and that we can start the process of getting plans together to make it work. We have our mainline sponsors already lined up and include Carrs Billington, Norbrook, Morrisons, Lloyds Bank and Farmers Guardian, so it’s just a case of fine tuning – making one or two changes, improvements and updating, and then we can crack on! Everybody is really excited.”
Discussing the format Agri Expo will take, Scott adds: “It’s still going to be very much a livestock and trade show. The infrastructure will still be the same, but we will be adhering to the relevant government guidelines at the time. The caveat is that we could be subject to arrangement changes at the very last minute. We have no idea how things will go over the next six months, so we have to be able to adapt to the reality of the situation, but we’re well used to doing that now.
“During the last year, all our marts have had to find a way to conduct business that is safe, so we are confident that we will be able to do this for the 2021 Borderway UK Agri Expo. We want all those who attend the event to be assured that over the next few months, we shall be working with the authorities to come up with a robust plan to ensure the safety of all involved.”
Attracting thousands of visitors, Borderway UK Agri Expo is not only seen as a true celebration of the very best British Livestock, it is also an event for those within the livestock industry to share commercial, innovation and educational developments. At this stage, details of the individual breed society shows, demonstrations and trade events are still be to be finalised, but a programme will be confirmed once the government guidelines are clearer.