New Finalists announced

Down High School Downpatrick, Friends’ School Lisburn; St. Killian’s College Carnlough and St. Louis Grammar Ballymena are our new finalists. The teams representing each school have received a mini-herd of Angus cross calves courtesy of the beef processor ABP and the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group. They will now have to rear their calves through to beef; pocketing the proceeds of their sale to ABP. Alongside the practical experience gained in beef farming, they will also work on special projects relating to sustainability that will be designed to complement their GCSE studies.

Congratulating the teams on becoming finalists, George Mullan, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland said, “The ABP Angus Youth Challenge finalist programme encourages young people who are interested in farming and food to explore forward-thinking ways to develop a sustainable agricultural system. They’ll be researching customer and consumer requirements and how to tackle challenges facing our industry from an environmental, economic and social perspective.”

Supporting them on their projects will be four College of Agriculture Food Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) advisors who will mentor each team during their finalist journey.

All 13 pupils are in Yr. 11 and will also benefit from professional instruction to prepare them for the world of work such as communication and interview skills. They will gain insights and an induction to one of the Europe’s leading meat processors travelling with ABP and Certified Irish Angus on an international study tour.

To make it onto the finalist programme the pupils had to competed against 20 other school teams at in farm-to-fork exhibition at Halloween. Congratulating the pupils, Charles Smith, General Manager of Certified Irish Angus added, “these young people are the future lifeblood of our industry. The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is connecting with them at a crucial stage of their education and giving them a bridge between school and working in our sector.”

You can follow their journey on Instagram and Facebook #ABPAngusYouth       

Four new teams through to ABP Angus Youth Challenge Finalist Programme

Four new teams have been presented with a mini-herd of Angus cross calves to rear as part of their reward for reaching the final stage of the ABP Angus Youth Challenge, an agri-skills development experience for teenagers. The winning schools were announced by the well-known farming programme presenter and journalist, Nicola Weir at the first live agri-event at Balmoral Park since November 2020.

They are: Cookstown High School, Dalriada School Ballymoney; Friends’ School Lisburn and St Kevin’s College Lisnaskea.

Each team was presented with their finalist trophies and calves at Balmoral Park showgrounds by Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland, George Mullan and Charles Smith, General Manager of the Northern Irish Angus Producers Group. Commenting on the occasion, George Mullan said,

“Young people have missed out on so much as a result of the pandemic. ABP is committed to offering opportunities for personal and educational development through the ABP Angus Youth Challenge. We have been delighted by the positive impact the competition is having on participants’ work-life and interpersonal skills. This secondary level initiative complements the close links we have with CAFRE, Queen’s University and Harper Adams.” 

Special Guest Martin McKendry, CAFRE College Director spoke at the event and said,

“CAFRE is delighted to support the ABP Angus Youth Challenge in particular through the involvement of our local Advisers working collaboratively with the participating schools. The project provides an excellent platform for young people to get a real insight into the Northern Ireland agri-food supply chain and the potential careers available. It is also extremely pleasing to see many of the recent participants within the project progressing from school onto courses within CAFRE. Finally I wish the new group of students every success on the project.” 

The finalists will now embark on a farm-to-fork skills development programme with ABP. They will rear their calves through to beef and sell them to ABP, sharing in the net reward after sale. They have also been assigned special projects to work on over the next 18 months. These will challenge them to explore innovative and forward-thinking ways to support the sustainable development of beef production in Northern Ireland. Mentoring them throughout the programme will be College of Agriculture Food Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) advisors. 

The teams’ performance across all aspects of the final stage will be continually assessed. At the end of their programme, one overall winning team will receive £1,000 cash prize for their school. The ABP Angus Youth Challenge will open again for entries in September 2021. Register interest now at: www.abpangusyouthchallenge.com Find us on Facebook & Instagram #ABPAngusYouth