Festival looking forward to competitive RBST Scottish Rare Breed Championships

This year’s Festival will feature the RBST Scottish Rare Breed Championships, which is a joint effort by the Festival and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to provide a high level of competition within Scotland for rare and native breed keepers.

The RBST Scottish National “Young stock” championships had already been confirmed, but feedback from RBST members suggested a mature livestock competition would also be welcome.

The Championships will be open to breeds of livestock that are, or have been, on the RBST Watchlist, and the entries will be based on age – stock born on or before January 2014 (or goats 12 months of age or under at the date of the Festival) will enter the Youngstock Championships, and the Senior Championships will be for stock born before January 2014 (or Goats older than 12 months at the date of the Festival).

Each species of livestock – goats, cattle, pigs and sheep – will have its own pair of Champions; the four Youngstock Champions will compete to win the Parkhill Cup plus a prize purse of £50, and the four Senior Champions will compete to win the RBST Caledonian Trophy, donated by RBST Caledonian Support Group, plus a £50 prize purse.

Peter Titley, the immediate Past Rare Breeds Survival Trust President, will judge the Youngstock and Senior Championships. Peter stood down as RBST President in August after many years of distinguished service to the charity, and the Festival Team are grateful to him for joining us to judge this inaugural RBST Scottish Rare Breed Championship.

RBST member and Show organizer, Rosemary Champion, is pleased to be extending the Championships “We are really pleased to be working with RBST to offer a senior championship alongside the youngstock. We had conversations with a number of breeders who wanted an opportunity to showcase their mature stock and we hope to have a high level of competition for this unique competition that will raise the profile of Rare Breeds in Scotland”.