THE biggest annual showcase of the best of British farming is about to get underway.

Three days of agricultural excellence are promised at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate, with the gates to the showground opening at 7.30am today.

  • Follow the first day live on The Northern Echo website from 10am

More than 130,000 people are expected to descend on the Great Yorkshire Showground before the show closes at 6.30pm on Thursday.

And as well competitive classes for thousands of the country’s finest animals, the rural extravaganza will include more than 1,300 businesses selling everything from jacuzzis to tractors and a packed programme of entertainment.

It will be particularly special for show director Charles Mills who is at the helm for the first time, having been a cattle steward for many years.

And one of his roles will be to show the Defra Secretary of State, Liz Truss, around the event on Wednesday, when she will meet industry figures as well as the public.

“It will be a hectic three days because there is just so much to see and do,” said Mr Mills.

“Whether you’re a farmer and showing livestock or wanting to know about the implications of Brexit, a fan of fashion or of food, or just enjoy a great day out, it’s the place to be.”

This year will see the newly-opened £11.5 million exhibition hall, the size of three-and-a-half Olympic swimming pools, transformed into a virtual food emporium. The hall is the setting for a new food theatre, the Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show and the field-to-fork exhibition, Journey of Food.

Some 8,000 animals, from sheep to shire horses, will be competing for the championship prizes and, with 2,000 entries in the show jumping and equine classes, the Great Yorkshire Show remains a top draw for competitors from across the UK.

One of the highlights of the three days is the Ripon Select Foods Cock O’ The North Trophy, with a total prize fund of £24,000.

The Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion will host four-times-daily runway shows featuring a wide range of top name clothing as well as garments created by students from Yorkshire colleges.

Elsewhere in the new Garden Show visitors will be able to watch as students from York’s Askham Bryan College create a garden from scratch in just 45 minutes – before taking it down and doing it all over again a couple of hours later.

And for the first time, visitors are being given the chance to learn more about the different breeds of pigs and how they are cared for on British farms.