ORGANISERS of the Royal Welsh Show had considered cancelling its horse section this year due to the equine flu outbreak.
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society announced last night that all horses at this year’s four day event, that opens at the Llanelwedd showground, near Builth Wells, on Monday, July 22, will have to be vaccinated.
It had already strongly recommended vaccination but has now agreed to ban any unvaccinated horses from attending the show.
A statement said: "Putting the welfare of horses first, within this fast changing picture, the society has decided that all equines attending this year’s Royal Welsh Show must be properly vaccinated.
"The society is communicating this decision to all exhibitors and is conscious of the impact this difficult decision may cause.
"We will continue to work with our own veterinary professionals, the chief veterinary officer (Wales) and exhibitors to minimise the spread of animal disease."
The Animal Health Trust has said there has been 24 cases of equine flu in Wales this year with infections increasing in recent weeks.
Across the UK, since the beginning of this year, there have been 160 laboratory confirmed cases of equine flu, according to trust figures.
Earlier this year all horse racing across the UK was suspended in a bid to try and beat the viral disease.