Slaney Foods reveal bursaries scheme

SLANEY FOODS is offering students the chance to win one of five €1,000 educational bursary awards through the Irish Hereford Bursary Competition.

This will be the third year of the competition which attracts interest from aspiring students hoping to pursue a career in the agri-sector.

The competition is funded by the Irish Hereford Breed Society in collaboration with Slaney Foods International and Lidl Ireland. Previous winners have commented on participating being ‘a thoroughly enjoyable experience’ with one past entrant commenting: ‘It can provide students with a motivating challenge to show their interest in the industry which they will find themselves leading, in years not so far into the future.’

The scheme helps winners both financially and academically.

Noel Bardon, from Mullingar, highlighted how significant participation was for him: ‘I would 100 per cent recommend taking part in the competition to any young person with an interest in Irish agriculture. The entire process is incredibly rewarding and the experience you get is fantastic.’

Another past winner, Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, said winning the bursary proved to her she had a passion for agriculture.

‘It cemented my decision to become more involved in the farm,’ she said.

To be in with a chance of winning one of these bursaries, candidates should submit an assignment titled ‘A Young Farmer’s opportunities and challenges in Beef Farming’.

The piece should be a maximum of 2,000 words and the entries must include the entrants name, address and contact number.

The assignment should be submitted by email no later than Friday, August 31, to herefordbursary@gmail.com

Ten qualifiers will be contacted by phone on Monday, September 10, and they will be required to attend the National Ploughing Championships in Tullamore on Wednesday, September 19, to be interviewed by a well-known figure in Irish agriculture who will select the final five winners.

For further details of the programme log onto www. irishhereford.com or www.slaneyfarmers.com and www.abettertomorrow-lidl.ie.

Students can also make enquiries to the Irish Hereford Breed Society Ltd. through 044-9348855. It’s expected there will be a high level of entries.