St Ita’s meet their Irish Angus calves
SIX groups of second-level students from right around the country - including St Ita’s - gathered to meet the Irish Angus calves which they will rear for 18 months as part of a unique competition.
The Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition, run by Irish Angus Producer Group in association with ABP and Kepak, aims to encourage second level students to gain an understanding about the care and attention that is required to produce and market the highest quality beef for consumers.
Following a competitive application process, qualifiers came from St Ita’s, Roscommon; St. Josephs Mercy Secondary School, Navan; Cavan; Lisdoonvarna and Kanturk.
The teams will each receive five Irish Angus Cross calves in September, which they will be required to rear for 18 months until their slaughter in 2020. In addition to rearing the calves, the schools will complete a project focussing on a different aspect of farming and the food chain.
The Quality and Flavour of Irish Angus Beef is the subject to be tackled by St. Ita’s Special School, Drogheda students Conor Belton, Alisha Crosbie and Michael McQuillan. They will look into what makes Certified Irish Angus Beef superior and the farming activities which can impact the quality of the meat
The winning students also receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.