ONE of Europe's major farm machinery manufacturers has pulled out of

this year's Royal Smithfield Show, which opens at Earls Court, London,

on November 28 -- and launched a scathing attack on the organisers over

a clash of dates.

Instead, Bernard Krone (UK) is to exhibit at the Agritechnica

machinery show being held in Germany at the same time, and will be

taking 70 of its UK dealers there as guests.

The firm's managing director Colin Watt said the earlier-scheduled

Smithfield Show, which up until two years ago was held in the first week

of December, now ''cuts right across'' the Continent's premier winter

exhibition at Frankfurt.

Given the present state of the European agricultural machinery market,

the decision to overlap with the Frankfurt event was either ''madness or

a complete lack of consideration to both machinery makers and the

trade,'' he complained.

''If the Smithfield organisers are asking manufacturers to choose

between the two, we have given our answer. So have many other major

machinery companies, particularly those such as Krone with Continental

parentage.''

He also expressed disappointment at the poor business done by his

company at the 1992 Smithfield Show. Along with about 70 others, Krone

was in the recently-opened ground floor extension to the Earls Court

Exhibition Centre. All but three of its 15 sales staff were sent home

after the second day.

The company believes that the number of major static farm machinery

exhibitions in Europe should be cut to no more than two a year -- with

the gaps filled by specialist working demonstrations, such as Grassland

'93, where potential buyers can see the machines in action.

''The industry must get its act together and stop shooting itself in

the foot,'' said Mr Watt. ''It's stupid to carry on holding the same

number of static shows as we did back in the 1960s and 70s. Times have

changed, and companies can no longer afford to attend the number of

shows they did in the past.''

He favours a pattern which would mean holding, for example, Smithfield

and Paris one year, and the English Royal and Agritechnica the next.

But he warned: ''Even then we, for one, won't be attending shows where

we can't be guaranteed a decent position and the type of visitor, in

sufficient numbers, that justifies the high expenditure involved. All I

can say to any show organiser who wishes to argue is -- let's put it to

the vote. I know that most machinery manufacturers will agree with me.''

The criticism was rejected by Mr Robin Hicks, director of the

Smithfield Show, who said he was not aware of any other companies

withdrawing. In fact, things were going the other way, and they were

already three months ahead with their bookings.

''I am surprised by Colin Watt's comments, when we have already

had helpful discussions with Krone (UK) about the show dates,'' he

added. ''The change to a week earlier has been almost universally

welcomed by exhibitors. It adds value to Smithfield as a trade event by

giving them more time to follow up inquiries and orders from farmers

before Christmas.''