51 talented teenagers compete to become 2019 ABP Angus Youth Challenge Finalists

51 young people representing 13 schools from right across the province are vying for a place in the final stage of the 2019 ABP Youth Challenge, an agri-skills development competition for teenagers wanting to work in agri-food.

The semi-finalists had to impress an independent panel of twelve judges about their knowledge of premium Northern Irish Angus beef production and particular aspects of Northern Ireland farming and food that interested them. Ideas explored ranged from the use of technology to educate consumers on traceability and food provenance; Farm Safety and Mental Health in rural communities; to connecting Belfast city with the farming and the link between Sustainability and profitability.

The pupils who ranged from 14-16 years of age were representing: Aughnacloy College, Co. Tyrone; Ballycastle High School, Co. Antrim; Ballymena Academy, Co. Antrim; St. Ciaran's College, Co. Tyrone; Coleraine Grammar School, Co. Londonderry; St. Colm's High School, Co. Londonderry; Fivemiletown College, Co. Tyrone; Glastry College, Co. Down; St. Patrick's College, Co. Londonderry; Slemish College, Co. Antrim; Rainey Endowed School, Co. Londonderry; Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Co. Antrim; and Wallace High School, Co. Antrim.

Congratulating the participants on reaching the semi-final, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland, George Mullan said,

“The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is connecting with the future of our industry. These young people are the farmers, the technologists, the production people of tomorrow that our industry needs in order for the local agri-food sector to thrive.”

The Finalist teams will be announced in April. Each team will then be presented with five Aberdeen Angus x calves at a high-profile public event during the Balmoral Show in May. They will go on to rear their calves through to finishing over an 18-month skills development programme covering insights into ABP’s Blade farming beef production model from farm to fork. They will benefit financially from the profit at sale of their calves to ABP. One overall winning team will also receive a £1,000 cash prize for their school.

The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is organised in partnership with the Northern Irish Angus Producer Group. Judging the semi-finalists were representatives from leading organisations across the farming, agri-food and education sectors.

Pictured: Pupils from Coleraine Academy, St Colm’s High School Co. Londonderry and St Ciaran’s College, Co. Tyrone who have reached the semi final along with 10 other schools

13 schools and a total of 51 teenagers reach 2019 semi-final

51 teenagers from across Northern Ireland will be showcasing their knowledge about NI Angus beef production at the ABP Angus Youth Challenge Semi-Final event at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus, Cookstown on Friday 8th March.

13 teams, representing a broad cross section of schools, have been shortlisted to compete at the exhibition in front of an independent panel of industry experts. They will present their innovative approaches and creative thinking on Angus beef-related themes and the promotion of ABP beef products.

To reach the semi-final stage, the teams had to produce a video and then attend a panel interview. They will now have to convince the judges about their knowledge and interest in beef production and working in the sector.

Commenting on the forthcoming event, George Mullan, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland said,

“The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is about looking to the future of Northern Ireland’s meat production industry. As a leading employer in the sector that also does business with around 5,000 farm families, the competition gives us an opportunity to connect with young people at the stage of their education when they are making career-path choices.”

“There will be a mix of girls and boys competing from rural and urban backgrounds, aged from 14 to 16 years old. A key point about the competition is that you don’t have to live on a farm to take part. Common to all the semi-finalists is an interest in working in the sector,”

The judging panel is made up of representatives of the agri-food; education and community sectors including CAFRE, NIMEA, NIFDA, LMC, YFCU, CCEA and Business in the Community (NI).

The schools that are selected to progress to the final stage will then be presented with five Aberdeen Angus cross calves per team at a high-profile public event on 17th May at Balmoral Show.

They will then go on to rear their calves, profiting from their sale to ABP over an 18-month skills development programme that will cover insights into beef production from farm-to-fork. One overall winning team will then win a further £1,000 cash prize for their school.

The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is organised in partnership with the Northern Irish Angus Producer Group. General Manager, Charles Smith said,

“The success of the first year of the ABP Youth Challenge has created a real buzz with the NI schools’ community. We are delighted to have participants from every county at Loughry this year. The standard of entries was very high. They should all be very proud to have reached this far.”