The Irish Shows Association has announced that it will not be possible to run its all-Ireland championship series for 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19.
In addition, the association said it will not print its annual guidebook this year, and is recommending to all its member shows not to run their shows or any public events “until such time as the safety of their members and the general public can be ensured and restrictions on social distancing are lifted”.
In a statement yesterday, Wednesday, April 15, the agricultural show representative body said:
The Irish Shows Association is very aware that these are unprecedented and difficult times for our members and indeed for our sponsors.
“None of us could have anticipated the situation with Covid-19 and the repercussions this would have for society as a whole.”
Noting that it has been closely monitoring the situation and has been liaising with several agencies, the organisation said:
“Up to now, 43 of our member shows had taken the decision to cancel for 2020 with our support.
“A meeting of the National Executive Board of the Irish Shows Association took place by video conference on Tuesday, April 14.
It was the considered opinion of the board that the current, necessary restrictions around social distancing and mass gatherings will continue for some time.
“We are also cognisant of the fact that many of our show volunteers are in vulnerable groups and that our sponsors have been hit hard by the current situation.
“For this reason, we are recommending to all our member shows not to run their shows or any public events until such time as the safety of their members and the general public can be ensured and restrictions on social distancing are lifted.
“The Irish Shows Association takes public safety very seriously and will be bound by the recommendations and advice of the public health authorities and the relevant government departments.”
Announcing its decision to pull the 2020 championship series, the group added: “We thank the sponsors and host shows and hope to welcome all of these prestigious competitions back to our calendar for 2021.”
Describing the move as a “prudent step” at this time, it was added: “We made the sacrifice in 2001 for foot-and-mouth [disease] and we came back. We will come back from this as well. The most important thing is that we all come back from this and that means staying apart and following all government guidelines.
Many of our loyal sponsors, both on local and national level, have had their businesses impacted severely by this crisis. We would urge our members to do what you can to support those local businesses that have been such a huge support to your shows over the years in whatever way possible.
The association thanked the Department of Rural and Community Development and Minister Michael Ring and his staff, noting that the department has agreed that grant funding issued for 2020 can be ring-fenced and held in trust until 2021.
“The Irish Shows Association Executive is in regular contact with shows about the current state of play and we would appreciate if shows could follow any and all guidelines issued.
“Board meetings will continue by conference call for the foreseeable future. We will also be looking at any opportunities to run virtual training events and online competitions over the coming months,” the organisation said.