A Limousin bull was crowned supreme champion at the Iverk Show in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny, which was marking its 200th anniversary.

Bred by Martin Davis from Co. Longford, Castlebrock Arthur ET took the top prize in the ABP’s Beef Bull of the Future Championship, which featured a €40,000 prize fund rewarding the top pedigree bulls and heifers across all beef breeds as part of the Iverk Show anniversary celebrations.

This year's competition, which took place last weekend, attracted a record number of bull and heifer entries from throughout Ireland, highlighting the continued strength and growth of Ireland's pedigree beef sector.

According to ABP, the championships play a role in recognising and rewarding pedigree breeders who are continuously improving the quality and genetic performance of their herds.

This forms part of ABP's wider initiative, a Bull Improvement Programme, which was launched at last year's show.

The initiative supports selected suppliers through a bull improvement payment, encouraging investment in superior genetics and breeding practices.

By promoting the use of high-performing sires, the programme aims to enhance the genetic performance of Irish beef herds, delivering benefits in efficiency, sustainability and overall farm profitability.

Alongside Castlebrock Arthur ET as the Supreme Champion, Martin Davis and his team also took home Champion of the Female Championship title on the day with their Limousin heifer Cush Alyssum.

The 2026 championships also saw support from Tesco Ireland for the first time at the show, sponsoring a €2,000 Angus Best-in-Class award, which recognised excellence within the Angus breed. 

Milestone

Managing director of ABP Ireland, Jerome Aherne highlighted the importance of the Iverk Show, Ireland's oldest agricultural show, for farming communities.

He said: “The Iverk Show has been an important part of Ireland's agricultural calendar for 200 years, and we were delighted to continue our support surrounding this remarkable milestone.

“We were delighted to see the championships continue to grow at Iverk and to recognise the outstanding cattle being produced by breeders across the country.”

According to ABP, research and results from its demonstration farm in Clonegal, Co. Carlow from over a decade have demonstrated the vIt alue of genetically superior bulls.

It said that the findings have shown calves born from higher genetic merit sires "are capable of yielding significantly greater carcass value".

The Beef Bull of the Future Championships was open to all beef breeds, providing an opportunity to bring this focus on genetic improvement directly to the show ring, ABP said.

It also highlighting the important role pedigree breeders play in the future of Irish beef production.