The case has, once again, been made for the Stormont Executive to directly fund local agricultural shows held in Northern Ireland.

This has been a core demand of the Irish Shows' Association (ISA) for the past number of years.

The organisation’s national secretary, Jim Harrison, visited the recent Saintfield Show 2026.

He explained: "Saintfield and the other agricultural shows held in Northern Ireland do not receive any support at all from the Stormont Executive.

“However, equivalent events south of the border each receive central government funding in the region of €8,000. Local councils will also provide a top-up fund of around €3,000.

"In addition, all local agricultural shows held in the Republic of Ireland can avail of a significant rebate with regard to the insurance costs they incur," Harrison said.

Harrison went onto reference the tremendous investment required to host a local agricultural show.

He said: "Adding to this is the commitment of the breeders taking part in the many show classes held throughout the summer months in the livestock they bring to the shows and the other facilities they need to make this happen.

"This includes the trailers required to transport animals from their farms to the various show venues.

"Meanwhile, government benefits significantly through the tax revenues generated from all of this activity.

"All the show societies in Northern Ireland are asking for it to have some of these monies put back by governments in the events that created all of this economic activity in the first place," Harrison said.

The ISA wants Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir to re-visit a strategic report into local shows, commissioned by his predecessor Edwin Poots.

The work was undertaken by Royal Welsh Show Association chief executive Aled Rhys Jones. His report was published back in 2024.

His specific brief was to look at ways by which the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) could strategically fund local agricultural shows into the future, thereby building further resilience within Northern Ireland’s agricultural show season.

Rhys Jones put forward two options in this regard.

Core funding

The first centred on the core funding of all the show societies.

Within this model, monies would be distributed equally to support their running costs. The core funding would also be linked to a set of outcomes, in line with the strategic priorities of DAERA.

Examples of such outcomes could include: the introduction of new competitions to recognise environmental skills and/or sustainable farming practises; displays of new equipment and technology to improve productivity on farms; plus initiatives linking food and farming.

Other envisaged outcomes include the improvement of supply chain integration; educational content; and dedicated areas at shows helping to inform the public about farming and food production.

The core funding would also ensure the highest standards of animal health and welfare plus a commitment to lower the carbon footprint of shows.

Rhys Jones proposed a funding model which would see DAERA commit core funding in the region of £10,000 per show association.

Two-tier funding

The second funding option looked at the introduction of a two-tier funding model. This would comprise a core funding element. This would allow shows to be supported on an equitable basis, in order to support their running costs.

A second layer of additional funding would be open to individual applications to support targeted initiatives, competitions or activities that align with DAERA’s strategic priorities and drives innovation at shows.