Television coverage of Crufts has undergone a sea change in recent years.

The emphasis has switched from the show ring and the controversial breed standards that need to be attained for commercial success to celebrating dogs as man’s best friends - covering everything from health and welfare issues, choosing the right puppy and providing appropriate training to taking a close-up look at the lives of dogs working for the armed forces and law enforcement agencies or providing life-changing support and companionship to people who are sick or disabled.

Headed by Clare Balding, with a supporting cast of dog-loving celebrities like Ewan Thomas, the nightly television shows also feature a team of experts presenting short films on topics of interest.

Among them is Kate Beavan, who farms with her husband Jim at Llanvetherine and teaches Animal Health and Welfare courses at Coleg Gwent’s Usk campus.

A few years back three million viewers every evening were tuning in to follow the fortunes of Kate and Jim on the BBC’s first Lambing Live series.

Since then Kate has launched her own ‘Country School’ to give people of all ages the chance to experience and practice rural skills on a working farm.

She has also been a regular contributor to BBC’s The One Show and, for the past three years, has had a slot on Channel Four and More Four’s coverage of the four days of Crufts.

This year Crufts runs at the NEC in Birmingham from Thursday March 10 to Sunday March 13 and every evening Kate, who is a registered veterinary nurse, will be providing a four-minute film on an educational topic she chooses herself - anything from dealing with parasites to microchipping, rehoming rescue dogs or tips on nutrition.

“I’ve never been interested in dog showing and breeding. I’ve always had working and rescue dogs. At the moment we have a Patterdale terrier and a sheepdog and my daughter’s tiny little dog which is a cross between a chihuahua and a Yorkie!” she said.

“In the past the emphasis at Crufts seemed to be on what dogs looked like but now the judges pay more attention to the dogs’ health and well-being. It won’t change completely overnight but it’s won me over.

“My contributions are filmed in the morning, edited in the afternoon and screened that evening. The programme goes out live and afterwards we all meet up in the bar to discuss how it went and what we’ll be doing the next day.

“Last year, because I’m a farmer, they decided to have me promoting responsible dog walking in the countryside. It meant I had to find a farm location within 10 miles of the NEC - which wasn’t easy!

“I also did a piece on nutrition and obesity for which I had to track down an overweight dog at Crufts, which wasn’t easy either. Not to insult the dog we chose we referred to her as a ‘positive role model’.

“This year I’m hoping to do a feature on medical detection dogs who sniff out diseases like cancer and diabetes. Nothing else is decided yet but I like the fact I have the freedom to choose what I want to cover.

“After I’ve finished my ‘bit’ I tend to take a wander around the NEC. I love watching the flyball competition. The dogs really enjoy themselves and the noise is incredible! I’m also looking forward this year to meeting the Irish superset Noel Fitzpatrick.”

One problem for Kate this year is that the Saturday programme clashes with the Six Nations Wales v England match.

“I’ll probably sneak off to the canteen area used by the crew and hopefully find people watching it there.”

Kate’s also heading for Crufts at the height of lambing back at the farm - and will miss Jim’s birthday too.

“Fortunately he’s very understanding!” she said.

The first time Kate appeared on the Crufts show she was offered first class rail travel from Abergavenny to Birmingham.

“The problem was there IS no first class from Abergavenny to Birmingham, only for the eight miles from Birmingham to the NEC. I was so disappointed!” she said.

Another advantage of appearing on the show should be the opportunity for a lie-in in a luxury hotel - but Kate’s so conditioned to being up at 5am she can’t take advantage of that either!