The Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh has been urged to swap their animal displays for a vegan-friendly option.
Animal rights charity Peta has said Scotland's biggest agricultural show should get rid of its animal displays and replace them with a 'turnip beauty pageant'.
Peta has called the Royal Highland Show "outdated" over its practices of showcasing thousands of animals, including scores of cattle breeds, sheep, horses, goats and birds.
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The next event is set to take place from June 22 to 25 and each year it sees around 200,000 people flock to Ingliston to see the contests including show-jumping and sheep shearing. It are these events that Peta brands as 'cruel'.
As the Daily Record reports, Peta is known for its provocative and sometimes controversial campaigns and in its latest update, has proposed replacing the event with the Royal Highland Grow. They suggest an entirely plant-based event with no animal products, to encourage more environmentally friendly farming practices. It has released a "cheerful" logo for its would-be replacement, featuring new mascots Neep and Tattie – a cartoon turnip and potato.
The Royal Highland Show has been going for over 180 years in support of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS). As well as showcasing animals, the event sees over 1,000 trade exhibitors sell and show off their wares, from Scottish food and drink to agricultural equipment.
However, Peta has suggested that the animal displays and events should be scrapped and should be replaced with vegan alternatives, including a veggie haggis-eating contest, a turnip beauty pageant and a potato sculpting competition. Moving away from encouraging the breeding of livestock, the organisation says, would promote more environmentally sustainable farming practices.
Dawn Carr, from Peta, said: “Instead of outdated cow parades, cruel sheep shearing, and food that has been cut or expelled from an animal’s body, the new Royal Highland Grow can celebrate Scotland’s hard-working plant-based farmers and delicious, locally produced vegan fare.
“The change will support the UK’s arable and horticultural farmers and help protect the environment by highlighting all the fantastic crops that can be grown in Scotland, from kelp to oats.”
Bobby Carruth, of farming union NFU Scotland, said: "As an event, it provides a showcase for the finest food and drink in the land and attracts the very best livestock from throughout the UK. It is an incredible day out for farmers and the public alike.
“It is also a hugely important economic platform for food and drink, which is the nation’s biggest manufacturing sector, directly and indirectly supporting 360,000 jobs. And with 65,000 people working in Scottish agriculture, farmers and crofters are the cornerstone of that growing food and drink sector.
"A day out at the Highland Show, meeting friends, seeing the best livestock, viewing the latest in machinery and technology keeps our farmers and crofters in the vanguard when it comes to sustainably producing food, tackling climate change and bolstering biodiversity.”
RHASS, meanwhile, has said that it is determined to keep the Royal Highland Show open as a "showcase for the whole of Scottish agriculture". Responding to Peta's suggestions, chief executive Alan Laidlaw said the animal rights group was "misrepresenting" some aspects of animal care, including sheep shearing, in its rally against the event.
He added: "I can only assume that this is to grab media attention. However, while most will see through this for what it is, it has the potential to further undermine our proud agricultural sector and our farmers who work 24/7 to feed our nation with a wide choice of fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat for the many millions who choose to make that part of their diet.”
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