For three days this week, the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Show at Haverfordwest has been the main focus of all attention.

Main talking points amongst the farming fraternity remained the less than the cost of production payments being received by dairy farmers, ongoing health problems in the dairy and beef herds being picked up from diseased wildlife, poor harvesting conditions for wheat and oil seed rape, which will lead to increased feed costs, difficult growing conditions locally for potatoes and the general load of bureaucracy which seems to know no bounds.

A lovely day on Tuesday brought in a huge crowd to support the event, but heavy rain throughout Wednesday morning saw the day's attendance markedly down.

The livestock classes on each day are of prime interest and it was noteable this year with Hereford breeders, George and Ionwy Thorne, as presidents, that this should be a 'Hereford Celebration Show'.

The prestigious 'team of five' challenge on Wednesday saw the Continental breeds dominate, but it was the 28-month-old Hereford bull, Sollpoll 1 Gilbert, from Doris and Aled Jones's Dendor herd at Caersws which took best individual.

This herd of polled Herefords was founded at Gwastadgoed Farm in 1970 and the aim has always been to produce cattle that are capable of producing offspring for either the pedigree or commercial herd that meet the current market requirements.

In the dairy challenge, the Ayrshires came out on top with Holsteins in reserve but, standing out from the mainstream was the winning individual, the black and white third calver, Castellhyfryd Spirte Rosina, from the many times prize-winning herd of Simon and Sian Davies.

From over 1,000 horse and pony entries, the honours were well-distributed; Youngsters Mark and Abigial Meyrick were amongst the prize-winners, as were the enthusiastic twosome of Beth and Maggie Simon, all of whom are assured of the maximum encouragement from family and friends.

Championship awards:

HORSES

(not including yesterday Thursday).

Shire - K. G. Tanner; res - J. and M. Fletcher.

Working Hunter, local - K. Griffiths.

Welsh Cob, Section D - N. Llewellin; res - D. Jones.

Welsh Pony (Cob type), Section C - Nebo Stud; res - P. and A. Jones.

Welsh Mountain Pony, Section A - R. and B. H. Reipen; res - R. J. H. Lewis.

Welsh Pony, Section B - Miller and Davies; res - P. Landon.

Welsh Breeds, under saddle - B. and M. Simons; res - T. Hook; gelding championship - D. R. Higgins; res - D. J. and H. Roach.

Welsh part-bred - Mark Meyrick; res - K. J. Hall.

Mountain and Moorland - A. D. Silk; res - C. Davies.

Working Hunter Pony - L. Bowen and res.

Show Hunter Pony - A. Prichard-Simmons; res - P. G. and G. M. Lewis; Open - L. Bowen and res.

Riding Pony Breeding - K. Rees and res.

Arab - E. J. Jones; res - J. A. and C. A. Hackley; part-bred -Archer and Wood; res - W. Harries.

Palomino - J. Edwards; res - J. Canton.

Coloured - J. Edwards; res - L. Walters.

Highland - L. Reid.

Shetland - S. Stevens; res - Powell and Jarman.

BEEF CATTLE

Team of five - Limousin; res - Simmental; individual - Hereford (E., E. D. and A. L. Jones).

Hereford - D. E., E. D. and A. L. Jones; res - N. Thorne.

Welsh Black - I. A. Lewis; res - A. Jones.

Longhorn - R. Vaughan; res - B. and M. Llewellyn.

Beef Shorthorn - B. M. S. and E. M. Thomas; res - A. James.

Dexter - H. Hamer and res.

Other British Native breed - G. and D. Finch (Belted Galloway); res - R. Cumine.

Limousin - E. D. Griffiths and Son and res.

Simmental - B. T., M. C. and D. W. Raymond; res - G. and E. Lloyd.

Other Continental - T. and K. Coney (Belgian Blue); res - A. and J. Phillips.

Murray Grey - Otter and Co and res.

Young handler - Robert Coney.

DAIRY CATTLE

Team of five - Ayrshire., res- Holstein; individual - Holstein (S. and S. Davies).

Ayrshire - P. and S. Williams; res - G. R. Thomas.

Holstein - S. and S. Davies; res - E. and C. Thomas.

Dairy Shorthorn - P. Morgan; res - I. L. and E. Harries.

Brown Swiss - M. Williams and res.

Jersey - J. D. Evans; res - H. and J. Evans.

Young handler - Jessica Hall.

SHEEP AND PIGS

(to be judged on yesterday Thursday).