You may or may not agree with this but it could be that Elin Jones has done a courageous thing. She has sanctioned a badger cull in Pembrokeshire to combat TB. We may not know for 20 years if this was the right thing to do. There is no political capital to be made out of the move and she will be a target for animals rights activists. She will get all the brickbats and few of the bouquets.
The HCCW stand followed the theme of conservation, sustainability and productivity this year, and won third prize in the stand competition. Dafydd Morgans chatted to the judge in Welsh and emphasised our bilingual approach, which gained a special mention in the judges' remarks, together with a reference to Becky Russell's "nicely presented cattle". Her cow and calf were much admired and had their photo taken with the Royal Welsh Lady Ambassador and her deputy when they came round on Sunday.
Although the wind was cold at times, there was quite a crowd, and we had plenty of enquiries, including several from commercial farmers keen to minimise production costs. Thank you to Charles and Mo Morgan who designed and organised the stand. It looked beautiful, and as there was almost always someone absorbing the benefits of keeping Highlanders, it was certainly effective! Thank you also to everyone who came and helped with manning. Many hands made light work, as ever, and the weekend was great fun. It was lovely to see so many members over the two days: thank you all for making the effort to come and see us. I will now attempt to insert a photograph - thsi is all part of the learning curve!