Students selected to raise Irish Angus calves
Darragh Morrison, Kian O Donoghue, Diurmid O Donavan ,Cathal McAuliffe: St Colmans College Fermoy who took part in the 2022 Certified Irish Angus School’s Competition. The competition, supported by ABP and Kepak, challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves and learn about the care and attention required to produce quality beef for consumers. Picture: Chris Bellew / Fennell Photography.
Five groups of secondary school students from all over the country will receive Certified Irish Angus calves at next week's National Ploughing Championships for them to take home and rear as part of their Agricultural Science studies for the Leaving Cert.
The Irish Angus Producer Group will use the event next week to showcase its pioneering new Elite Angus Breed Improvement programme, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 9% per kilo of beef.Â
On Wednesday, RTÉ’s Mary-Claire Fitzpatrick will present the students with bovine passports for their calves at a special event for family and friends. Following the event, the students will take their animals home where they will rear them until their slaughter in Autumn 2024.
The competition is now in its ninth year, and this year’s finalists are; Dunshaughlin Community College, Co. Meath; Manor House School, Raheny, Dublin; St. Colman's College, Fermoy, Co. Cork; Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles, Co. Tipperary; and Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan, Co.Westmeath.
At the Ploughing, Certified Irish Angus will also introduce members and visitors to its new programme that will reward breeders through subsided sexed male semen and a €200 premium on every participating bull.
The initiative, which is the first of its kind for any breed in Ireland, will enhance the genetics of Angus cross cattle in order to reduce carbon emissions and provide a cross-sectoral solution that will benefit Pedigree breeders, dairy farmers, and beef producers.
The Certified Irish Angus Elite Breed Improvement Programme is being headed up by Catherine Smyth, who has substantial experience in livestock genetics with a degree in sustainable agriculture. The initiative began in December 2021 with the purchase of Drumcrow Tribesman, an Elite Angus bull with superior genetics as part of a joint venture with Dovea Genetics. The programme offers a range of financial incentives and supports for farmers.
The Group is also in a position to offer its members an early opportunity to book animals for its off-season spring bonus in April and May of 2023. This bonus of .30 cent per kg delivers a maximum of €114 pre head on a 380kg carcass. The opportunity to book early allows members to enter into winter finishing with certainty in a time of challenging costs of feed and general inputs.
