[2nd MARCH 2020] The Ireland Ladies Hockey Captain Katie Mullan will be presenting the prizes to the winners in the 2018-2020 ABP Angus Youth Challenge on 11th March at CAFRE Loughry Campus. The ceremony will mark the completion of 18-months farm-to-fork skills development programme for the first set of four teams of finalists who represent Belfast Royal Academy; Enniskillen Royal Grammar; Rainey Endowed Magherafelt and St Louis Ballymena. Over that time each team has had to raise 5 Aberdeen Angus cross calves through to beef and develop innovative projects to support sustainable beef production in Northern Ireland.
The overall winning team will receive £1000 for their school. An individual achievement award will also be presented to one successful nominee.
MC for the event UTV’s Sports Correspondent, Ruth Gorman will be interviewing Katie about her farming background and her tips for success both on and off the hockey pitch as she prepares for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Watching the awards ceremony will be parents, principals and teachers from the finalist schools, plus the 2019 finalist teams, Aughnacloy College; Fivemiletown College, RBAI (Inst.) and Wallace High School. 63 semi-finalists from 17 schools will also be attending. They will be trying to impress an independent panel of industry experts for a place in the 2020-2022 finalist programme.
This year’s ABP Angus Youth Challenge competitors in the 2020 semi-final come from both rural and urban schools with a diverse mix of boys and girls taking part. Common to them all is an interest in gaining employability skills and experience in agri-food.
Judging their exhibits will be senior figures drawn from the agriculture, education and food production sectors ranging from CAFRE, LMC, DAERA; NIMEA, to CCEA, BITC, QUB and the UFU, as well as Agri-Aware; Asda and Ulster Bank’s agri-business division. Those who make it through to the next stage will receive their calves from ABP at the Balmoral Show in May. The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is organised in partnership with the Northern Irish Angus Producer Group.