Sheep exhibitors decline at the Melbourne Royal Show due to a 'combination of factors'

Several smaller breeds at the show last week had only one or two exhibitors vying for the supreme ribbon as about 250 sheep were shown in the two-day sheep judging competition.

It compared to 700 entries in 2019 at the last show.

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Melbourne Royal Show Sheep Committee chair Gavin Wall said a combination of factors "outside of our control" contributed to the significant decline in entries.

"There were a number of issues which made it difficult to restart the sheep section of the show," he said.

One contributor to the decline in entries was the change of dates of the show, which forced the sheep competition to be held a few days later than usual, meaning it clashed with ram sales.

"In the past, the show has been used to promote studs' upcoming sales," Mr Wall said.

"Sale dates are guarded very closely and once you get a sale date in the calendar, studs aren't willing to give that away, and I don't blame them."

He said the threat of FMD "scared the bejesus" out of people.

"I was pleased about the quality of sheep that were in attendance - they were exemplary," he said.

"Showing is not just about winning ribbons, it's an opportunity to present your breeding program to potential buyers, and is also an opportunity for social interaction between fellow breeders and the general public."

He said the clash of the sheep judging with the Victorian school holidays was another factor which made it difficult for some schools to exhibit sheep.

"There was no show for 1087 days and some people might not have missed the show, or might have reached the age where they retired from showing," he said.

"We hope that might open up the opportunity for someone who hasn't been at the show for a number of years, or someone who has shown before, to enter.

"If COVID has taught us nothing else, the importance of social interaction and meeting with friends and having a laugh is something incredibly important to our industry."

One of the most successful exhibitors of the show was Sweetfield Corriedale stud principal Bron Ellis, Mount Moriac, who said a solution to increasing sheep numbers at the show was not an easy one.

"We had Border Leicesters and Poll Dorsets which were well down in their numbers, and we had no Southdowns at the show either," she said.

"I know you have to change with time, however, you need exhibitors there, and we need as many as we can get to be successful.

"I doubt whether the dates will be changed back, but it's clear the change has clashed with a lot of ram sales and that has affected the number of exhibitors."

Ellingerrin Border Leicester stud principal Heather Stoney, Modewarre, who won the supreme interbreed exhibit of the show, said the low number of exhibitors was disappointing.

"But I have a feeling that's what we should have expected," she said.

"I've just received the numbers for the Royal Geelong Show in October and we have about 240 exhibitors down from about 400 so it seems to be a bit of a trend."

The beef judging kicks off on Thursday, and goes until Saturday.