Cara Doggett (beef paraders), Georgia Whitworth (dairy paraders), Marie Fitzpatrick, (rural ambassador), Tayla Hansen (sheep judging), Courtney Davies (beef and dairy judging) and Niamh Barnett (merino fleece judging) had all qualified to compete at the Agricultural Shows of Australia (ASA) national finals for people aged under 25, which were due to be held at the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane from August 7-9.
They qualified through winning Royal Agricultural Society of NZ (RASNZ) events.
Earlier this month, RASNZ chief executive Debbie Cameron said that due to uncertainty with covid-19 it was decided not to send a NZ team.
Now, following a meeting of the ASA working groups, organising committees and the host body Queensland Ag Shows, the unanimous decision was made that the national finals for 2021 would not be conducted in conjunction with the 2021 Royal Queensland Show.
“The increasing uncertainty around the ability of interstate competitors and officials was the major consideration. With that in mind, the joint committee decided that it was not possible to proceed with the 2021 campaign in the current location,” ASA chair Rob Wilson said.
“Given our duty of care when conducting these competitions, the uncertainty around border restrictions and quarantine requirements, and the possible adverse impacts to finances and the wellbeing of competitors, supporters and organising committees were catalysts for this decision.”
