Brother and sister take top award

A BROTHER and sister from Portlaoise, Co Laois, have won the top prizes in this year’s Macra na Feirme dairy stock judging competition, sponsored by the Irish Dairy Board and held at the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) Open Day on the farm of Michael McDonnell, Cannontown, Termonfeckin, Co Louth.

Paul Ging, 17, won top prize in the U23 category while his sister, Anne Marie Ging, 24, took first place in the senior competition.

Runners-up were John Buckley, from the Carbery region, Co Cork, and Shane Murphy from Callan, Co Kilkenny.

The competition took the form of an academic test followed by score-marking in order of merit of a pen of heifers and a pen of cows, as well as interviews on their grading of the animals.