THE Royal Welsh Show Society has cancelled two forthcoming events in light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Royal Welsh grassland event on May 7 has been cancelled, as has the scheduled smallholding and countryside festival on May 16 and 17.

The society appreciates the disruption and disappointment that will be caused, but the absolute priority must lie with the well-being of its supporters and the protection of public health in this time of unprecedented uncertainty.

The Royal Welsh Show Society is continuing to closely monitor the situation as it develops ahead of the Royal Welsh Show, which is planned for July 20-23.

Steve Hughson, the chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, said: "The society is deeply disappointed that we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel these important society events.

"However, as a responsible event organiser, we fully understand the need to work across the industry to minimise the spread of this pandemic.

"The society appreciates that this will cause inconvenience for all concerned and encourage those with urgent questions or queries to contact us via requests@rwas.co.uk"

The society would like to thank its members, traders, exhibitors, competitors, sponsors and all stakeholders for their understanding and patience during this period of uncertainty.

It will keep members and the public fully informed regarding any further developments in what is an unprecedented situation.