Professional cattle hoof trimmer Graeme Parker, also known as ‘The Hoof GP’, will open the Next Generation programme at the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) Conference.
The Next Generation programme is for those aged under 45 who are representing agricultural show societies from around the world.
It will run before the main RASC Conference which is being hosted in Edinburgh between Tuesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 27, 2024.
The event, which was launched by the late Duke of Edinburgh in 1957, is hosted by different countries every two years.
This year’s conference, timed so delegates have the option of visiting the Royal Highland Show, will be the first for six years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rebecca Dawes, who will be co-chairing the programme with fellow trustee, Breyton Milford from South Africa, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Graeme has accepted our invitation to open our Next Generation programme for those across the globe who share a common interest and passion for agriculture.
“Graeme holds the distinction of being the largest agricultural influencer on the planet, with a following of over 6 million people on his social media platforms. In fact, Graeme’s videos have amassed an astounding total of nearly 3 billion views.”
Over the course of the past 13 years, Parker, or ‘The Hoof GP’, and his team have trimmed close to 260,000 cows’ feet, while also delivering presentations at conferences and speaking engagements.
He has significantly raised the profile of the hoof trimming industry, the RASC said.
41-year-old Parker lives near Wigtown, in South West Scotland, with his wife and children.
“What is fascinating is that in spite of all the billions of people who have watched his videos trimming the feet of cattle, Graeme has stayed loyal to what he started out to do – promoting education and good animal welfare within the industry,” Dawes said.
Next Generation
The RASC’s Next Generation programme will run on Monday, June 24, and the morning of Tuesday, June 25.
The Next Generation session will be closed by Michael Duxbury, the first blind person to go to agricultural College back in the 1980s.
Before going on to become the global head of diversity for the Vodafone group, he was a pig specialist and feed specialist for an animal feed company.
Duxbury and his partner, Ness, decided to set up the project ‘Inclusive Farm’ designed to teach agriculture to other disabled students.
Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Martin – founder of the Farmer Time project – is also among the speakers, along with Jim Shanks, a 5th generation dairy farmer from the Scottish Borders.
Rural affairs journalist and television producer Anna Jones is also a speaker at the event as well as agriculture commentator Claire Taylor.
