NORTHUMBERLAND Young Farmers are considering plugging the gap left by the controversial axing of next year’s national convention.

As the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs argues the toss with regional members over the level of anti-social behaviour it said had tarnished both the convention and the reputation of the federation, Northumberland chairman Adam Grieve said people were already talking about an alternative.

“Members are deeply disappointed at what’s happened,” he said. “Northumberland members were there at the AGM and very well behaved. We didn’t have any issues at all.

“Along with members from other counties, we just feel we’ve been badly done to – the behaviour of one or two idiots has spoiled it for everybody.”

The weekend-long convention, containing within it the annual general meeting and the national finals of the choir, pantomime and public speaking competitions, moves around the country and this year took place in Blackpool.

A NFYFC spokesman said that Blackpool Council had been presented with a ‘file of complaints’ following the convention in May.

While he acknowledged the number of actual arrests had been low, he said it was impossible to ignore the problem of anti-social behaviour, which had been rising year on year, and the negative social media coverage that went with it.

In response, Young Farmers, acting on Lancashire Police data elicited under a Freedom of Information request, pointed out there were no more reports of anti-social incidents during the convention weekend than on the same, but convention-free, weekend in Blackpool the previous year – just five on each of the weekends – and the perpetrators hadn’t necessarily been Young Farmers.

Adam said: “We haven’t decided what to do next year, but Edward Dungait, who will be our chairman next year, is keen to get something organised, because it’s such an important event on the Young Farmers’ calendar.

“It’s a good opportunity for members to meet different people from other areas of the country and that leads to friendships and a greater number of connections in general.”

And it wasn’t just the opportunity to share experiences and exchange information that was invaluable, he said. “This year, lambing time was very, very hard for people,” he said, “so it was good to know you were going to get away afterwards for a break. It gave everyone something to look forward to.”

People were hoping the convention would be resurrected in 2020, but in the meantime, Northumberland members were taking soundings both within the county and beyond, about what they could organise in its place next year.