There can be no doubting the Scottish National Fat Stock Club’s LiveScot event at Lanark Auction Mart, has proved a roaring success since it’s big move from Ingliston, and this year’s show looks set to be even bigger and better than ever.

With increased entries, sponsorship and trade stand bookings, excitement is mounting amongst spectators and exhibitors on the run up to this ‘new,’ increasingly popular winter primestock show on Saturday, November, 25.

Add to that the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Premier Meat Exhibition or the ‘live/dead’ competition which sees the first part staged at Caledonian Marts’ Stirling market, on Wednesday, November 15 and the finale, on Saturday, November 18, at Scotbeef, Bridge of Allan, and the count down is definitely on.

It’s a nerve wracking time too, for Scottish National Fat Stock Club chairman, Hugh Dunlop, who has not only spent the past two months at numerous meetings relating to the events, but also back home, farming his own beef cattle and sheep at Holehouse, Ochiltree.

As one of Scotland’s best known stockmen and breeder of show winning stock, Hugh knows all too well the trials and tribulations of breeding and bringing out champion winners.

Having exhibited at calf shows and winter primestock events for 30 years, Hugh has won a heap of top awards and the overall championship at the Winter Fair three times and the famous Smithfield, on four separate occasions. Furthermore, he’s also bred numerous show calves that have gone on to win for other fatstock enthusiasts.

Now in his second year as chairman of the Scottish National Fatstock Club, following two previous years as vice and six as a trustee, Hugh also knows what works, and just as importantly, what doesn’t for a winter event.

“LiveScot is far better at Lanark Auction Mart as it’s more compact and more suited to exhibiting animals, which in turns creates a better atmosphere,” Hugh said.

“The market is also in the heart of livestock country at Lanark, and is therefore better supported. This year will be our fourth at the market and entries and attendance have increased year on year. Exhibitors and spectators are certainly a lot happier at Lanark,” he added.

Such as been the success of the past three years, that the finances of the Fatstock Club are very much back in the black too following a couple of difficult years when the event was staged in the massive Highland Hall at Ingliston.

“We have charged £5 per head for the past two years in succession and entrance will again be set at the same amount this year, but we are a charitable organisation, so anything we do make goes straight back into improving next year’s event,” said Hugh.

This year looks set to be even more successful too with entries for LiveScot being the highest recorded in the past decade, with 110 cattle in the open section; 10 butchers cattle; 46 commercial calves; 110 pairs of lambs and 25 single ewe lambs.

Entries for the pedigree dairy cattle, poultry, grain, silage and hay, crooks, baking and crafts are also all up on the year. And, while many of the entries are from Scotland’s Central Belt, a good number are from as far afield as Cumbria and Northern Ireland.

New to this year’s event too is a young handler competition which is free to enter for those aged between 15 and 30years of age to add to the junior section for those under 15 years.

However, as the senior competition includes preparation of cattle judging down the cattle lines as well as presentation and showing in the show ring, such exhibitors do need to register their entries prior to the event.

Entries for the Premier Meat Exhibition are also at record levels with some 300 cattle and 250 lambs booked in with several new exhibitors too, all vying to ‘do the double,’ and win both the live and the dead section – a feat which has only been achieved amongst the cattle, but never in the sheep section.

Needless to say, the next two weeks are extremely busy for exhibitors and the organisers, but with a good committee and a great club secretary in Margaret Gray, who has helped to turn the event around over the past three years, Hugh is fairly confident for this year’s bumper events.

“It is a lot of work on the run up to the various events, but it is all worth it in the end when we get great reports and see attendance figures up year on year.

The last three years have been really good, and we have much the same format for this year, albeit with increased entries, and a new improved sound system, so this year’s show shouldn’t be any different.

“We are always looking for new ideas of how to improve LiveScot and the Premier Meat Exhibition, so if anyone has any suggestions, please come and speak to us,” Hugh said adding that this year’s sales of the prime cattle and sheep at Lanark, should also be better as more butchers have been invited.