St Ita’s students learn about meat exports
A group of agricultural-science students from St. Ita’s School, Drogheda who are participating in the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition visited the headquarters of leading retailers Tesco Ireland and Albert Heijn to learn about the marketing and export of Certified Irish Angus Beef.
The study trip, organised by Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP and Kepak began with a visit to Tesco Ireland who have been involved in the production and promotion of Certified Irish Angus Beef for more than 21 years. The group then boarded a flight to The Netherlands where they will visit Albert Heijn, the Dutch supermarket chain who is a leading importer of Irish beef.
The students from St. Ita’s School, Drogheda; Conor Belton, Alisha Crosbie and Michael McQuillan were selected by a panel of industry judges to rear six Irish Angus Cross calves up until their slaughter in 2020. In addition to the rearing of calves, the students are undertaking the following research project: The Quality and Flavour of Irish Angus Beef which will investigate what makes Certified Irish Angus Beef superior and the farming activities that can impact the quality of the beef.
The Louth students are finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition run by Irish Angus Producer Group, along with its processor partners, ABP and Kepak. The initiative encourages secondary school students to increase their knowledge and understanding of the care and attention required to produce and market the highest quality beef for consumers and to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to a real-life setting. Each of the finalists will receive the financial benefit involved in the selling of the animals to the processors on completion of the project. The winning students also receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.