Dunshaughlin students in final of Schools Angus Competition

Students from Dunshaughlin Community College are among the finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition.

At a special event at the National Ploughing Championships, TikTok influencer and RTÉ broadcaster Mary-Claire Fitzpatrick revealed the five secondary schools that have been selected as finalists in this year’s competition.

Eoin O'Sullivan, Liam Byrne, David Malone and Eric Allen from Dunshaughlin were among the students from schools in Meath, Dublin, Cork, Tipperary and Westmeath, who met the Irish Angus-Cross calves they will rear for the first time at the event.

The Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition, run by Certified Irish Angus and its processor partners, ABP and Kepak, aims to encourage second level students to gain an understanding about the considerable care and attention that is required to produce and market the highest quality beef for consumers. After the National Ploughing Championships, the students will take the calves home where they will rear them for 18-months as part of this unique competition.

The five schools were narrowed down from 140 entries after a competitive, multi-stage interview process earlier this year. In addition to rearing the calves, the schools will complete a project focusing on a different aspect of farming, the food chain and sustainability.

The Dunshaughlin students will explore the theme ‘A holistic approach to improving animal performance’ and will address the use of natural resources, grass, and breeding to improve sustainability.

The 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 selling the animals to the processors on completion of the project.

The winning students receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.