Balmoral Show is a 'vital shop window' for the agriculture sector in Northern Ireland

Jason Rankin, himself a dairy farmer, said: “Balmoral Show is a chance for the entire sector to get together, to network and to regroup for another year.”

Mr Rankin is general manager of AgriSearch – The Northern Ireland Agricultural Research and Development Council – which was formed in 1997 to help dairy, beef and sheep farmers become directly involved with production-oriented research.

He added: "The show is a vital shop window for the industry. It's here to show the very best of what we do in terms of quality of livestock, new technology."

Another experienced farmer – and former stockbroker – Barry Fitzsimons said it is good to see so many young people at Balmoral Show because they are the future of farming.

He said: "I'm absolutely impressed with the number of people here this morning – a fabulous crowd.

"But I'm more impressed with the number of young people here because that's what the farming industry needs.

"It doesn't need old people like me, it needs young people coming on to make this continue as a very, very progressive and very valuable industry to Northern Ireland."

Noel Williams, the mayor of Mid and East Antrim, attended yesterday to meet local businesses exhibiting at the show.

He said: "I'm here to see lots of Mid and East Antrim businesses who are all here to show off their wares, doing a really good job."

Meanwhile, one of the core messages being delivered by Marks and Spencer at Balmoral Show is that the company has traded very strongly over the past 12 months with food sales making a strong contribution to this level of performance.

Company agricultural manager Dr Peter Kennedy commented: “Our latest annual results will be published in a couple of weeks’ time. They will confirm that food sales across many categories are increasing. Dairy is a case in point.”

Mr Kennedy also confirmed that the business is a on a journey towards net carbon zero and this process will involve farmers.

He said: “Regular carbon benchmarking is critically important in this regard. By taking this approach, farmers can consistently identify how they are progressing on their carbon journey.”

Mr Kennedy believes carbon calculators will become more accurate as time goes on. He also foresees the developments of new technologies that will significantly help farmers reduce the carbon footprint of their business.