FOOT and mouth has curtailed the Royal Welsh Winter Fair to one day in December.

The fair was to have been a two-day event to help compensate for the forced cancellation of the Royal Welsh Show in July.

However, plans are still going ahead for a one-day fair on the showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, on Tuesday, December 4.

Unfortunately, there would be no cattle, sheep or pigs.

Show secretary Peter Guthrie said that because of foot and mouth lingering on for longer than anticipated and the possible risk of further contamination, the board of management had reluctantly decided not to include cloven-hoofed animals in the schedule.

He said the society was putting together a programme which would be full of interest to rural and urban visitors.

Mr Guthrie said that details would be announced in the coming weeks.

He said the fair had enjoyed fantastic support since it was launched 12 years ago and the society was determined to make the event a really worthwhile and memorable occasion.

It would provide farmers and their families with the opportunity to meet and have an enjoyable time after what, for many, had been a very depressing and disappointing summer.