Despite being small, Northern Ireland punches above its weight in many ways. It’s agri-food industry is no different. The annual success of Northern Ireland’s largest agricultural showcase, The Balmoral Show, saw the event extended from three to four days in recent years. This year, organisers took pride in announcing record attendance of over 120,000 visitors to the show grounds at Balmoral Park, on the outskirts of Lisburn city.
In its 151st year, the show is a much-anticipated family day out for many in the local farming and agri-business communities, not to mention a whole host of other business representatives who take advantage of the footfall to exhibit their wares. Staff from the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) and event sponsors were actively scouring the grounds to identify the best trade stands of 2019. With over 650 to choose from, there was plenty of competition in each category. Congratulations to Rooney Fish who took the title of Best Trade Stand displaying local food!
Balmoral Show offers a whole host of activities and events from sheep shearing competitions and the annual Young Farmers Tug of War event, to the Best Dressed competition, and performances by motorsport dare devils and local equine enthusiasts in the arena. All this and more means there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Of course, the culinary delights from the best food producers in Ireland can’t be overlooked either. A day out at Balmoral Show wouldn’t be complete without watching cookery demos from local chefs and working your way around the NI Food Pavilion, and the Asda and Lidl exhibition areas doing the taste test on all that is on offer!
UMC staff enjoyed catching up with customers and suppliers at the show, as well as friends, family and neighbours. Whilst Northern Ireland’s largest agricultural event may be over for another year, the team still have Anuga 2019 to look forward to. The world’s largest trade fair for the food and drink industry takes place in Cologne this year in October.
