ROYAL Adelaide Show pig entries will be judged by an international breeder for just the second time, with Irish producer Nigel Overend adjudicating this year.
Nigel is from Deerpark Pedigree Pigs in Northern Ireland, with the family business started by Nigel’s father Robert Overend in the 1950s.
Robert was the first international judge in the Adelaide pig section, attending the show in 2014.
As well as breeding pedigree pigs including Large Whites, Landrace, Durocs, Berkshires and Hampshires, Deerpark also runs its own artificial insemination centre.
SA Pig Breeders Association member Shaun Blenkiron, Gumshire, Keyneton, said Nigel would be the sole judge for the pig section this year, rather than the usual two.
“We’ll have one judge covering all the breeds in the one ring this year,” he said.
“Having all the judging in the one ring will mean we can make the ring a bit bigger and it will also mean we can have more undercover seating for people watching the judging.”
Judging of the pig breeds will take place on Sunday, September 3, with the commercial classes and junior sections on the next day.
The shed housing all the pigs at the show will be made more eye-catching this year, to help draw in crowds.
A mural is being painted on the side of the shed, which will feature all the pig breeds in Australia, including Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Berkshire, Saddleback, Hampshires, Tamworth and Large Blacks.
Mr Blenkiron said a good number of entries had come in so far for the show judging.
“We’ve got 17 Berkshire entries, 10 any other breeds, which include Durocs and Hampshires, 22 Landrace and 34 Large Whites,” he said.
The any other breed class is the feature at this year’s show.
There are three interstate exhibitors travelling to SA for the pig judging this year – Richard and Heather Cole, Forbes, NSW, Joyce Wilkie and Michael Plane, Allsun Farm, Gundaroo, NSW, and Daniel Lloyd, Berks Creek, Mangoplah, NSW. All three are Berkshire breeders.
The schools competition, which has been running for the past two years, has also attracted plenty of attention, with 25 teams of two from universities and high schools taking part on Friday, September 8.
In the schools competition, students are assessed on how they handle their animal.
This year’s Royal Adelaide Show purebred pig sale will have a new look, with Landmark Fawcett Mount Pleasant running the auction.
Landmark SA stud stock manager Gordon Wood will be auctioneering the sale.
Mr Blenkiron said prospective buyers could easily inspect the pigs available before the sale.
“On the Stud Pig Sales Australia page on Facebook there will be pictures of all the pigs available in the sale,” he said.
“The pictures were put up on Facebook before the sale last year, and it worked really well. There was a lot of people looking at the pictures before the sale.”
To help attract interstate bids, the breeders association is offering free freight to Forbes, NSW, as a central site for people to pick up their pigs.
A catalogue will be available in the week of the show and prospective buyers can contact Landmark Fawcett Mount Pleasant to obtain a copy.
The sale is being held on Wednesday, September 6, starting at 1pm.
• Details: David Schultz 0408 816 943 or Colin Fawcett 0417 867 035.