Certified Irish Angus has announced the teams that will be progressing forward as finalists for its Certified Irish Angus Schools’ Competition 2025.
This is following on from the exhibition held in Croke Park last month and three Laois students have been selected.
Sinead Slevin, Jill Sheehy and Carol Sheehy of Scoil Chriost Ri will fly the flag for Laois at the competition.
The four other finalist group are: Loretto Secondary School, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, Saint Claire’s Secondary School, Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan and Villier’s School, Co. Limerick
The Certified Irish Angus Schools’ competition challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves for beef production over 18 months.
Along with promoting the brand, the competition also aims to communicate the care required to produce quality beef for consumers.
The five groups will receive their calves to rear at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co. Laois, in September.
In 2022, almost 600 students from rural and urban schools in 23 counties applied to take part the competition.
This was then whittled down to 42 teams that reached the semi-finals of the 2023 competition and displayed their ideas at the exhibition in Croke Park on Friday, March 31st.
Schools Competition coordinator William Delaney said: “The standard of the projects from all of the schools was extremely high, with a vast array of knowledge displayed by the students in how they would solve some of the issues that are facing Agriculture in Ireland at the moment.
“We are looking forward to see such enthusiasm from young people for the future of farming and the beef sector.”
The challenge for the three girls will begin in September when they receive their calves at the National Ploughing Championships, and they will rear the animals over the following 18 months while completing a research topic.
Each of the finalists shares in the sale of the animals to the processors on completion of the project which amounted to an average €7,500.
During the competition they will also be exposed to the full process of beef production from Farm to fork including visits beef processing facilities, presenting their ideas to industry experts from the likes of Bord Bia and Tesco and going on a foreign study trip.
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