A GIANT of both stature and the world of livestock showing, Gavin Bernard Shanks – known to most as Big Gav – passed away recently, leaving a huge gap in the industry.

Lanarkshire born and bred, Gavin was not the best scholar in the world, but from an early age showed a business acumen which was to stand him in good stead during his formative years and ultimately led to him achieving a lifelong ambition of becoming a farmer.

After school he started off in the family's wood yard in Airdrie, before moving on to forming and running a highly successful salvage business. During this time, he developed a second 'career' as a successful Highland Games competitor, regularly competing at the highest end of this sport with the likes of Geoff Capes and North-east farmer, Charlie Allan.

Also a keen country sportsman, he excelled with rod and gun and this proved an ideal getaway from a busy business life when he retired from the 'games' circuit. But for most of the farming community, it was when he brought his acumen to bear on farming, especially in producing pedigree livestock, that he was best known.

When he moved to Bowmanhurst, just outside Carluke, he fulfilled his ambition to be a farmer. He started with Highland cattle, before moving on to Aberdeen-Angus, Charolais and Belgian Blues, but sheep became his first love.

He was president of both the Bleu du Maine and Beltex sheep societies, and also had a brief alliance with Suffolk, Berrichon du Cher and North Country Cheviot sheep.

Given his background in Highland games, it was no surprise that Gavin relished the competitive nature of showing livestock. He loved showing, enjoyed the craic, winding people up and above all took great pride in winning.

In 1996, he achieved something that many have aspired to and few have succeeded in doing, and that was to show three breeds at one show – Bleus, Berrichons and Beltex – and be champion in them all. That was the Royal Welsh, which at that time was the biggest agricultural event in the calendar.

His other achievement was a grand-slam at all three Royals on the UK mainland with a Bleu du Maine, a feat which he almost achieved with a Beltex ram too.

He was at the forefront of introducing Beltex sheep into the UK and made regular trips from the UK to Belgium to purchase stock to bolster his flock and to bring out for sale, mainly at Carlisle and Chelford, which he did to some success, getting a best of 12,000gns for Ulysses, which proved an influential purchase for the McAllister family's Artnagullion flock in Ulster. He was also part of the consortium which paid 34,000gns for the record-breaking Tullygarley Elite.

Latterly, he 'invented' the Millennium Bleu – a cross between his two favourite breeds which has now become an established part of the sheep industry.

Gavin cut a figure wherever he went and, as he often remarked himself: "When you are my size, you are a hard man to miss." Always a generous host, his 'kist party' at the Royal, at Stoneleigh, in its hey day, was a thing of legend.

He was also a gentleman in the true sense of the word and that will be missed just as much as his skill with livestock.

He is survived by his long-term partner and wife, Alice.