RTE Broadcaster Miriam
O’Callaghan presents
secondary with Irish
Angus Cross calves at
National Ploughing
Championships
(l-r) Susan O'Neill, Laurel Hill Secondary School
Limerick, Minister for European Affairs, Helen
McEntee TD; Cathal Moran, Glenamaddy
Community School Galway and Charles Smith,
General Manager, Irish Angus Producer Group
officially announced the details of the 2018
Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition
in association with ABP and Kepak at the Irish
Angus Producer Group stand at the National
Ploughing Championships. For further
information visit www.angusproducergroup.com
and to presenting the next batch of
successful finalists with their calves at
next year’s National Ploughing
Championships.”
The project aims to allow students to
apply the knowledge they learn in the
classroom to a real-life setting. Each of
the finalists will receive the financial
benefit involved in the selling of the
animals to the processors on completion
of the project. The winning students also
receive an additional grant of €2,000 for
their further education
The Irish Angus Producer Group is
currently seeking video applications from
Transition Year students with a keen
interest in promoting excellence in beef
production. Following an extensive
interview process, 30 schools will be
shortlisted to present their project ideas
to industry at an event in Croke Park in
March 2018 and five groups will then
each receive a number of Angus cross
calves to rear as part of their Leaving
Certificate Agricultural Science project at
the National Ploughing Championships
in 2018.
For further information visit
www.angusproducergroup.com
The Irish Angus Exhibition Centre at the
National Ploughing Championships was a
hive of activity on the 21st September
2017 as RTE Broadcaster, Miriam O’Callaghan
presented a number of secondary school
groups from around the country with five Irish
Angus Cross calves to rear as part of a unique
secondary schools competition.
The Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools
Competition run by the Irish Angus Producer
Group, along with its processor partners, ABP
Ireland and Kepak aims to encourage second
level students to gain an understanding
about the care and attention that is required
to produce and market the highest quality
beef for consumers.
Teams from Glenamaddy Community School,
Galway; Ashbourne Community School,
Meath; Davis College, Cork; Laurel Hill
Secondary School, Limerick and Scoil Mhuire,
Strokestown will this evening bring the calves
home from the National Ploughing
Championships to rear for the next 18 months
until their slaughter in 2019.
In addition to rearing the calves, the schools
will complete a project focussing on a
different aspect of farming and the food
chain. These include:
1) Mental health and wellbeing among
farmers
Glenamaddy Community School, Galway will
undertake a project to highlight to farmers
the importance of mental health and well-
being. This will focus on ways to reduce
stress, draw on support from family and the
community and achieve a sense of job
satisfaction.
2) Viability of Dairy Cross Angus beef
production:
Ashbourne Community School, Meath will
explore the viability of Dairy Cross Angus Beef
production. This will include assessing the
benefits for both the dairy and beef farmer,
analysing suitability to Irish conditions and
best practice for the production of Dairy Cross
Angus cattle as calves at grass.
3) Versatility of Certified Irish Angus Beef:
Davis College, Cork will highlight the versatility
of Certified Irish Angus Beef for consumers.
They will analyse the factors that affect the
quality of beef, explore its flavour profile and
develop a creative approach to making beef
more appealing for families and children.
4) The importance of Irish agriculture:
Laurel Hill Secondary School, Limerick will
undertake a project to create consumer
awareness about the importance of the Irish
agricultural industry and the role of farmers.
They will also explore the importance of
animal welfare, the history of Angus in Ireland
and why Irish beef is recognised as superior
all over the world.
5) The role of production planning:
Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon
will explore the importance of planning
production on farms. They will profile best
practice in production systems and assess
the suitability of the farming system in
relation to land type.
The Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools
Competition aims to allow students to apply
the knowledge they learn in the classroom to
a real-life setting. Each of the finalists will
receive the financial benefit involved in the
selling of the animals to the processors on
completion of the project. The winning
students also receive an additional grant of
€2,000 for their further education.
For further information on the project visit
www.angusproducergroup.com
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