Irish Angus calves presented to Kilkenny student team

A group of Kilkenny students have been revealed as finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition.

Caitlin Kinsella, Emily Kearns and Emily Doyle from Abbey Community College, Ferrybank were among the students who met the Irish Angus Cross calves they will rear for the first time at last week’s National Ploughing Championships.

The students will explore the theme of ecological and economic strategies for sustainable agriculture.

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Their research will focus on how sustainability measures can reduce farming costs, how farmers can get increased recognition for their environmental efforts, and how financial support can support these goals through schemes like the ABP Advantage Programme and Kepak/Tírlán 2020.

To raise awareness, they plan to promote the Angus breed locally, host knowledge-sharing events, and create accessible resources to help farmers enhance on-farm ecology.

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 understand the considerable care and attention required to produce and market the highest-quality beef for consumers.

In addition to rearing the calves, the students will complete research projects focusing on different aspects of farming, the food chain, and sustainability.

Each finalist will receive the financial benefit of selling the animals to the processors upon the project’s completion.
The winning students also receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.

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The Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition, supported by processors ABP and Kepak was first introduced to secondary school students in Ireland in 2014.

The unique initiative is designed to teach students about the care and attention required to produce top
quality beef, and it has engaged with more than 4,000 students in the last 11 years.