THE pig section was full this year, with breeders competing for those all important rosettes.

Merryn Philp of Launceston came away with a first place in the January Gilt class and a reserve female champion award. Merryn has been raising pigs since she was five years old. She said: “I went to the Royal Welsh Show and saw some pigs when I was about two — apparently I didn’t stop talking about them until I got my own.”  

RCS
Merryn Philp of Launceston came away with a first place rosette in the January Gilt class and a reserve female champion award. Merryn has been raising pigs since she was five years old. She said: “I went to the Royal Welsh Show and saw some pigs when I was about two — apparently I didn’t stop talking about them until I got my own.” (Adrian Jasper)

Michael Brown from Newquay was equally delighted when he won reserve breed champion in the large white category with his 12 month old pig ‘White Cross Beautiful’. 

Michael, who has kept a variety of pigs since the age of nine felt “very good” about being at the show.

He was clearly an experienced handler and kindly allowed our reporters to have a go at ‘herding’ one of his pigs. 

Zoe Uglow and Scarlett Hills-Brooks helped bring Michael Brown's pig back to her pen
Reporters Zoe Uglow and Scarlett Hills-Brooks helped bring Michael Brown's pig back to her pen (Tindle)

“They are pretty calm animals — got a lot of personality though — and can be tough to handle at times but you just have to know what you’re doing.”

Safe to say our reporters were not natural pig herders.