Animals and their people: country shows across the UK – in pictures

Photographer Irina Werning, who grew up in rural Argentina surrounded by animals, has spent the summer photographing animals and their people at county and agricultural shows across the UK, from Essex and Kent to Surrey, Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire, a project she began in Argentina.

‘As animals become less visible in the countryside, I’ve turned to agricultural shows – places where people still gather to see and celebrate them. For the past four years, I’ve photographed these fairs in Argentina and the UK, exploring our changing relationship with animals. I see them as a kind of Darwinian theatre, looking for moments when humans and animals unexpectedly mirror each other’