By Ewan Pate, farming editor

THE ROYAL Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland celebrated its 222nd birthday in grand style over the last four days.

An announcement last night put the attendance at this year’s show at 161,409, about 6000 up on last year’s figure and setting a new record for attendance at the Ingliston site.

This was in spite of far fewer organised school trips because the summer holidays are already under way.

The weather, as always hugely important for an outside event, was much better than forecast although the wet and windy conditions before the show opened on Thursday caused some concerns.

Around 70% of those attending are reckoned to be urban, but with a growing interest in what is going on in the countryside. But RHASS director Keith Brooke said, “It is still the place to do business.

“After a worrying time for farmers the last four days have put a spring back into everyone’s step.”

The trade stands did seem to be doing business. Bob Ritchie, of David Ritchie Implements, Forfar, noted that the Saturday had been much busier than usual.

“We have been very busy in general and finding customers positive about the immediate future. There has been no doom and gloom,” he said.

Jimmy McLean, head of agriculture at the Royal Bank of Scotland also noticed confidence in the short-term outlook, with younger people especially coming up with positive plans.

However, he still felt that while other sectors were confident of recovery, dairying was still under serious pressure.

Although RHASS chief executive Ray Jones was delighted with the operation of the show he did express concern about a growing number of incidences of vandalism and aggression, often alcohol fuelled.

“The Highland is an event for all the family and we simply won’t accept loutish behaviour, he said as the show ground cleared yesterday.

The problems were blamed on a younger element but Mr Jones was quick to praise the official contribution of young farmers to the show.

Meanwhile the cloud hanging over the Ingliston site refuses to budge. To Mr Jones’s obvious frustration, Edinburgh Airport’s owners have still not produced a master plan for the show site they want to swallow up.

But the RHASS is well through a feasibility plan for a new site in the Edinburgh area should it have to move.

It is widely believed to lie just to the south of Ingliston on the Norton side of the A8, and Mr Jones confirmed that he was looking for a site with a 70,000 per day capacity.