28 pupils from five different schools and their teachers who are participating in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition flew out to Belgium this week for a farm to fork study tour.
The four-day trip is part of a skills development experience for the finalists in the 2023 competition which is organised by the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP and Kepak.
The tour started in Dublin with a visit to Tesco Ireland and then they travelled across to Bord Bia HQ to learn about the sale and promotion of Irish Angus beef.
The teenagers got back to the farming side of the trip at Teagasc Grange before moving onto Gigginstown House Stud and Farm, where Angus cattle are bred.
In Belgium, the pupils stayed at the Irish College, Leuven. Their trip was action packed with the students making presentations in the European Parliament to Irish political and farming representatives about the projects they are working on as finalists.
On the final day, the pupils headed to Bruges where they visited Ter Groene Poorte school, which is a training institute for nutrition-oriented studies.
Ter Groene Poorte school offers training for butchers, bakeries, large kitchens, and restaurant studies for pupils that would be a similar age to the Irish students.
General manager, Certified Irish Angus Producer Group, Charles Smith, said:
“One of the highlights of the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition for the students is undoubtedly this annual study trip.
“It provides them with the opportunity to meet some of the leaders in Irish and European agriculture and we are very grateful to people like Michael O’Leary.”
Smith expressed his gratitude to the Irish MEP’s and the suppliers who interacted with the students who are going to be the “future” of agriculture.
He also said that the experience gives the students the chance to see the calves they reared turn into a “premium” product on a global scale.
“At Tesco Ireland they will learn about what it takes for a product to become one of the exclusive Tesco Finest brands and the importance of provenance and consistency of quality for the retailer,” Smith said.