Scotland is set to host an international agricultural conference in which boasts royal connections.

The Princess Royal is patron of the 30th Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) Conference, an organisation which was founded in 1957 by her father, the late Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip.

A total of 54 different countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Uganda, Canada, India, and Jamaica, with around 250 representatives at the Edinburgh-based conference in June 2024.

The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has been instrumental in securing the conference, which is traditionally held every two years and draws the bulk of its delegates from agricultural show societies across the world.

John Bennett, an Australian farmer and trustee of RASC, said the covid-forced cancellation of the last conference, in 2020, has resulted in a great deal of excitement about next year’s event and urged people to attend.

He said: “I am very much looking forward to coming to Scotland for the 2024 conference.

“I have been attending since 2004 and have yet to meet anybody who hasn’t enjoyed themselves or had their money’s worth from the great ideas they have returned home with.

“It doesn’t matter whereabouts in the world somebody comes from, if you are interested in agriculture or are part of an agricultural show society you will find plenty to talk about.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much we all have in common and I will be forever grateful for the network of people around the world to that I can give a call to, or send an email, to ask for their help and advice.

“Working together has never been more important than at the moment with challenges such as climate change; it’s vital to be aware of scientific developments - to get the global picture.”

Sir Nicholas Bacon, RASC Chairman, echoed the importance of the conference’s Next Generation sessions.

“We recognise that today’s young are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.

“One of the biggest problems in agriculture is attracting the next generation into farming and it is wonderful to bring younger people together and see how many ideas they come up with.

“RASC is the only organisation to support and promote agriculture throughout the commonwealth and it’s so vital we keep up its valuable work. If you fill a room with people from all over the world but they have agriculture in common it is amazing to see how soon they are chattering away; exchanging ideas and experiences.”