INSPIRING YOUNG TALENT REACHES SEMI FINALS OF ABP ANGUS YOUTH CHALLENGE

A selection of inspirational young people from every county in Northern Ireland will be showcasing their agriculture and agri-food projects at the ABP Angus Youth Challenge Semi-Final event at CAFRE’s Loughrey Campus, Cookstown on Friday 9th March. 11 teams of 42 enthusiastic young people ranging from 14 to 16 years of age, will be impressing an independent panel of industry experts with their innovative approaches and creative thinking on project themes ranging from women in agriculture, promoting Northern Irish beef and the contribution of the agri-food sector to the rural economy.

To reach the semi-final the teams have already had to produce a video and attend a panel interview. They will now be turning their concepts into reality by bringing to life their aspirations for and interests in the agri-food sector. 

Speaking about why the global meat processor, ABP, is investing in this competition in Northern Ireland, its Managing Director here, George Mullan, said “We’re looking into the future of our industry through this competition. We want to inspire a future work force from beef farmers to food scientists and agri-technologists that will bring innovation and technical know-how to the table. We look forward to some ‘out of the box, innovative thinking’ from our young semi-finalists on the themes they have been given as well as the ability to embrace the benefits that technology is bringing to the sector. The ABP Youth Challenge reaches out to schools and clubs right across the province to show how diverse a career in the sector can be and the future skills that are required.”

The semi-finalists come from rural and urban backgrounds. There’s a good mix of boys and girls and not all live on a farm. “Common to them all is an interest in our sector and an enthusiasm to make an impact,” added Mr Mullan.

Judging the projects will be senior figures drawn from the agriculture and food production sectors ranging from CAFRE, NIMEA, NIFDA, AFBI, YFCU and the LMC. They will have the tough task of selecting three finalist teams. The finalist teams will then be presented with five Aberdeen Angus x calves at a high-profile event at the 100th Balmoral Show in May. They will go on to rear the calves through to sale to ABP over an 18-month skills development programme with ABP covering insights into beef production from farm to fork. In addition, they will benefit financially from the profit at sale of the calves to ABP. One overall winning team will also win £1,000 cash prize for their school or club. The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is organised in partnership with the Northern Irish Angus Producers Group.

STRONG INTEREST IN ABP’s AGRI-FOOD SKILLS COMPETITION

A strong interest in the ABP Angus Youth Challenge is already being reported following its recent launch. The initiative is being organised by ABP in association with the Northern Irish Angus Producer Group. It involves groups of between two to five 14-16 year olds competing for the chance to win five Aberdeen Angus cross calves as three finalist teams. The teams will then rear their calves through to finishing and benefit from the net profit at sale to ABP. One overall winning group will be awarded £1,000. To win that top prize, teams can choose to represent their school, club or society or simply enter as a group of friends.

In addition, the competition offers the opportunity for skills development from farm to fork for the three finalist teams over an 18-month programme with ABP which has processing facilities in Lurgan and Newry and employs over 600 people. The finalists will receive their calves at the Balmoral Show in 2018. ABP has been a platinum sponsor of the show for several years. Whilst it isn’t revealing what it has ‘up its sleeves’ for the finalists at next year’s show, it is anticipated to be a high-profile event in keeping with a landmark 150th year for the show.

To earn their place at that event, entrants must first produce a 3-minute video. The brief for the video is to introduce the group; the school/club or society they represent (if applicable) and then convey their understanding of ABP and the Aberdeen Angus breed; as well the aspects of rural life and/or farming they intend to explore if successful in winning the calves. 

ABP are keen to point out that entrants do not have to live on farm to take part. “ABP will assist in placing the calves if required,” explains Arthur Callaghan, Blade Co-ordinator with ABP. “We want to hear from young people with an interest in a career in agri-food production across the board.” 

ABP in Northern Ireland is part of ABP Food Group, with 15 locations across the UK and a total of 46 across Europe. Various career opportunities exist for suitable school-leavers and graduates to join the organisation.

“The association with the Northern Irish Angus Producer Group in hosting this competition is a natural progression for ABP,” continues Arthur Callaghan. “We have well established links with the Group, operating a successful processing and marketing alliance.”

Also commenting on the partnership with ABP, Charles Smith, General Manager of the Northern Irish Angus Producer Group said, “Our aim is to develop a strong voice for Aberdeen Angus producers in Northern Ireland.  In co-operation with ABP, we plan to promote and develop the Aberdeen Angus breed and its benefits as a farming system to beef farmers of the future in Northern Ireland.  We intend to do this in a number of ways, one of which will be developing a keen interest among young people, not only in beef production, but also through raising awareness of the quality of Aberdeen Angus beef and the unique and special manner in which it is produced. Our experience has been that young, enthusiastic people benefit from the encouragement of their interest in agriculture.  The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is a platform from which they can express this pride and passion to a wider audience for all that is good about the sector using one of the world’s most popular beef breeds as the focal point.”

Videos with completed entry forms must be submitted to Arthur Callaghan at ABP by the closing date of 22nd December 2017.