The Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition is run by the Irish Angus Producer Group, along with its processor partners, ABP Ireland and Kepak Group.
It 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.
Each year, five school groups are chosen to receive five Irish Angus cross calves. As part of their Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science project the students are required to rear calves through to slaughter and visit processing and retail facilities to understand how the food chain works.
The project aims to allow students to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to a real-life setting.
Five schools from across the country will take part in the competition, which will run up until March 2019. The finalists were chosen from a shortlist of 34 groups who recently presented project ideas to a panel of judges at an exhibition in Croke Park.
- Glenamaddy Community School, Co. Galway;
- Ashbourne Community School, Co. Meath;
- Davis College, Co. Cork;
- Laurel Hill Secondary School, Co. Limerick;
- Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon.
At the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co. Offaly, the teams received their calves from Miriam O’Callaghan; they will rear the calves for the next 18 months.