While it is very good news that the €5,000 grants to shows earmarked for this year are now ring fenced for use in 2021, this decision is also a signal to all of our agricultural and equestrian show organisers that the time has come to take decisive action and cancel all such events for the present year.

Holding out fragile hope that sometime over the next number of months the present Covid-19 crisis will just disappear is wrong. Better to take the time to re-boot, build our strength and be ready to put on the best events possible in 2021.

In a very welcome statement from the Department of Agriculture, we were told that Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring TD has confirmed to the Irish Shows Association (ISA) that events that do not take place in 2020 can avail of their portion of the €600,000 in funding for the sector to support their show in 2021. This is in line with Government policy that everything should be done to make sure that as much activity as possible can be up and running after the crisis has passed.

Come together

While that time has not yet come it is time for all of the bodies responsible for running shows north and south of the border to come together as one and make a clear cut decision that all of their 2020 events, large, small or medium are cancelled. This will give clarity to horse owners and riders as to how they should manage their animals during the months ahead. Keeping them in work due to a forlorn hope that shows will shortly resume does not appear to be the right way to go.

Neither would it be right for any one show to break ranks and run against the tide. This should be an all for one situation and our whole show scene will be the better for the unity shown during the epidemic when it does come to an end.

For my own part at age 88 going on 89, I am among that cohort of people for whom cocooning is a must for the long-term future. There are thousands like me who would love to attend a show in one form or another during the months ahead. But that could be detrimental in the current situation.

About one third of our agricultural shows are already cancelled for this year. There appears no chance of the All Ireland Horse Championships going ahead. So I say, with a heavy heart, all shows should now be cancelled for 2020. So that they can come back as strong as possible in 2021. Better that than half-way measures that do not work.