Environmental, Economic & Ethical benefits of Certified Irish Angus explored by schools competition winners
Gold Cup winning jockey Rachael Blackmore inspires students with career advice at prestigious awards ceremony in Croke Park
Today, four students from Gorey Community School were announced as the winners of the 2022 Certified Irish Angus School’s Competition sponsored by ABP, at an awards ceremony which took place at Croke Park. Winners Eoin Kelly, Caoimhe Crean, Caoimhe Horan and Pádraig Kinsella impressed the judges with their approach to the prestigious calf-rearing competition, which is now in its eighth year. During the competition, the winning group researched the benefits of the 3 E’s (environmental, economic and ethical) of Certified Irish Angus breed, while also developing a recipe booklet to educate the local community on the sustainable breed. Opening t
he event, Charlie McConalogue Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine said: “ The Schools Competition is such a wonderfully creative and innovative initiative. It has captured the imagination of the farming and non-farming communities over the years. At a time when there are growing demands from consumers around the provenance of their food, the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition is an important bridge between the producer and the consumer. It also tells as tremendous story of the quality of animal we are renowned for producing and the incredible care our world-class farmers take of their animals.”
Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Rachael Blackmore was the special guest at this year’s awards ceremony. Rachael, who hails from a farming background and has strong family links to farming, shared her experience of growing up on a farm; detailing how this positively impacted her love for animals, career and sporting achievements through instilling a good work ethic that allowed her to reach dreams beyond her wildest imagination.
About the Competition
The Certified Irish Angus Schools competition, created by Certified Irish Angus, ABP and Kepak, challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves for beef production. It aims to promote the Certified Irish Angus Beef brand while communicating the care and attention required to produce quality beef for consumers.
Announcing the winners, Charles Smith, General Manager, Irish Angus Producer Group said, “We are thrilled to be back in Croke Park this year for a physical event which provides a great opportunity for the agri-industry to engage with the next generation. The students gathered here today display immense maturity and knowledge of the agri-food sector and it is an honour for us to host them.
Gorey Community School are well deserved winners of this year’s competition. The fact that one of the winning team is not from a farm but possesses a deep respect for farming and all things rural, demonstrates the strength of the community this group come from. The enormous respect for the farms and the traditions they come from was evident in their approach and execution of this project. The quality of the projects carried out by all students is hugely encouraging for the future of farming and the Certified Irish Angus competition”