The 146th Great Yorkshire Show opened yesterday and the crowds gathered to enjoy a day in the sun on the sprawling showground at Harrogate. With nearly 1,000 competitive entries, the event is set to be one of the most successful yet, and about 125,000 people are expected to attend over its three days.

THE Government was yesterday urged to make more of an effort to help new blood enter farming

Tenancies have traditionally been one of the principal ways for people to enter the industry.

But the Tenant Farmers' Association said policies hindered rather than helped the process and said it wanted to see the introduction of a retirement scheme.

The association's chairman, Reg Haydon, was at the Great Yorkshire Show yesterday. He said: "In order to create opportunities, others have to leave the industry.

"There are many tenants who would like to retire, but cannot due to debt and a lack of alternative housing.

"In its 2001 election manifesto, the current government promised a retirement scheme and have done nothing about it.

"Indeed, it has since stated it is not going to introduce such a scheme.

"Not only does this hamper the supply of opportunities for new entrants, but breaks a promise to the industry."

He also said he was alarmed at the number of local authorities that have decided to sell off their tenant farms.

He said: "North Yorkshire County Council is a case in point. Over five years ago, it decided to sell its farms when they fell vacant, and some sales were also to be agreed with sitting tenants.

"Ultimately, that will result in around 110 North Yorkshire holdings being lost to new entrants.

"This is a shortsighted dash for cash and will do nothing to benefit the agriculture economy of the country."

Mr Haydon said a recently announced package of training and advice would be of some help. However, he warned a similar attempt in the 1990s - the Rural Starters' Register - had foundered because of a lack of support from those who could offer opportunities.

He said: "We hope that landlords will see the need to invest in the future by coming forward with opportunities for new entrants.

"The supply of land to rent has been very tight this year due to concerns over mid-term review, but into the medium and long-term, we see that landlords will have to return to the letting market.

"We are hopeful that new entrants will be able to have a fair crack at these opportunities."

Results

CHEESE AND DAIRY

Milk

Class 1 Milk from an individual cow: 1 Dent, Mr E, West Burton, Leyburn, North Yorkshire; 2 and 3 Stoddart-Scott J & C; Creskeld, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Class 2 Pasteurised whole milk: 1 Bruce, Mr W & Partington, Mr M, Blackburn; 2 Arla Foods, Leeds; 3 Bellerby J G, Harrogate.

Class 3 Pasteurised Channel Island milk: 1 Delamere Dairy, Cheshire

Class 4: Unpasteurised whole milk (Green Top): 1&2 Bruce, Mr W & Partington, Mr M, Blackburn; 3 Stoddart-Scott, J & C, Leeds.

Class 5 Speciality milk: 1 Stonegate Farm Dairy, York; 2 Lowna Dairy, Cottingham, East Yorkshire; 3 St Helen's Farm, York,

Class Ch1 Best Liquid Milk:

Delamere Dairy, Cheshire.

Class Sp1 Best Milk from an Individual Cow: Mr E Dent, West Burton, Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

Cheddar Cheese

Class 6 Mild Cheddar: 1 Wexford Creamery, Ireland; 2 Taw Valley Creamery, Devon; 3 Wyke Farms, Somerset.

Class 7 Medium Cheddar: 1 Dairy Crest, Devon; 2 Wyke Farms, Somerset; 3 The Cheese Co Limited, Lockerbie, Scotland.

Class 8 Mature Cheddar: 1

Bradbury & Son, Buxton; 2 Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire; 3 Barber Limited A J & R, Somerset.

Class 13 Cheshire traditional or block, coloured or white, any weight, any milk: 1 Windsor W J, T E & Sons, Shropshire; 2&3 Belton Cheese Limited, Shropshire.

Class 14 Traditional cylindrical Cheshire, coloured or white, any weight, any milk: 1&2

Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes, North Yorkshire; 3 Windsor W J, T E & Sons, Shropshire.

Class 15 Red Leicester: 1, Wensleydale Dairy, Hawes, North Yorkshire, 2&3 Taw Valley Creamery, Devon.

Class 16 Double Gloucester: 1

Dairy Crest, Wigton, Cumbria; 2 Wensleydale Dairy, Hawes, North Yorkshire; 3 Taw Valley Creamery, Devon.

Class Ch3 For the best territorial cheese: Dairy Crest, Wigton, Cumbria.

Class Sp2 Best Wensleydale Cheese: Wensleydale Dairy, Hawes, North Yorkshire

Blue Cheese

Class 17 Stilton: 1 Long Clawson Dairy, Leicestershire; 2&3 Tuxford & Tebbutt, Leicestershire.

Class 18 Two halves of blue vein hard cheese: 1&3 Cropwell Bishop Creamery, Nottingham; 2 Tuxford & Tebbutt, Leicestershire.

Class 19 Speciality blue vein (hard): 1&3 Lactalis UK Limited, New Malden; 2 The Swaledale Cheese Company, Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Class 20 Soft blue cheese: 1 Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, Lancashire; 2 Tuxford & Tebbutt, Leicestershire; 3 Bongrain ULN, Hampton.

Class Ch4 Best blue cheese: Lactalis UK Limited, New Malden.

Soft Cheese

Class 21 Soft and fresh cheese: 1 Ravens Oak Dairy, Cheshire; 2&3 Longley Farm, West Yorkshire.

Class 22 soft cheese, mould ripened: 1 H T Webb & Co Limited, Gravesend; 2 Daylesford Creamery, Gloucestershire; 3 Ravens Oak Dairy, Cheshire.

Class Ch5 Best soft cheese: H T Webb & Co Limited, Gravesend.

Class 23 Smoked cheese: 1 Bradbury & Son, Buxton; 2 Swaledale Cheese Company, Richmond, North Yorkshire; 3 Wensleydale Dairy, Hawes, North Yorkshire.

Class 24 Savoury/spicy cheese: 1

Dairy Crest, Derbyshire; 2 Bradbury & Son, Buxton; 3 Wensleydale Dairy, Hawes, North Yorkshire.

Class 25 Sweet/Dessert cheese: 1 Wensleydale Dairy, Hawes, North Yorkshire; 2 Lowna Dairy, East Yorkshire; 3 Ilchester Cheese Company, Somerset.

Class Ch6 Best cheese with added flavour: Dairy Crest, Derbyshire.

Speciality products

Class 26 Speciality non-blue cheese: 1 Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, Lancashire; 2 Shepherds Purse Cheeses, Thirsk, North Yorkshire; 3 Bradbury & Son, Buxton.

Class 27 Speciality non-UK cheese: 1&2 H T Webb & Co, Gravesend; 3 Wexford Creamery, Ireland.

Class 28: Goat's milk product: 1 Bradbury & Son, Buxton; 2 Ribblesdale Cheese Makers, Settle; 3 Ravens Oak Dairy, Cheshire.

Class 29 Ewe's milk product: 1 Lactalis UK Limited, New Malden; 2 Bongrain ULN, Hampton; 3 H T Webb & Co, Gravesend.

Class 30 Buffalo's milk product: 1 Ravens Oak Dairy, Cheshire; 2&3 Shepherds Purse Cheeses, Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

Class 31 Channel Island milk product: 1 Shepherds Purse Cheeses, Thirsk, North Yorkshire; 2 Delamere Dairy, Cheshire; 3 Longley Farm, West Yorkshire.

Class Ch7 Best speciality product: Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, Lancashire.

Yoghurt

Class 32 Low fat yoghurt, natural: 1,2&3 Longley Farm, West Yorkshire.

Class 33 Low fat yoghurt, flavoured: 1 Yeo Valley, Bristol; ACC - Milk, Whitby; 3 Rachel's Organic, Wales

Class 34 Whole milk yoghurt: 1 Yeo Valley, Bristol; 2 St Helen's Farm, York, North Yorkshire; 3 Longley Farm, West Yorkshire.

Class 35: Whole milk yoghurt, flavoured: 1&2 Asda Stores, Leeds; 3 Yeo Valley, Bristol.

Class 36 Four yoghurts: 1 Yeo Valley, Bristol; 2&3 Longley Farm, West Yorkshire.

Class 37 Yoghurt dessert: 1&3 Yeo Valley, Bristol; 2 Longley Farm, West Yorkshire.

Class Ch8 Best yoghurt: Asda Stores, Leeds.

* See tomorrow's Northern Echo for more cheese and dairy results.