Agri Careers: beefing up interest in Certified Irish Angus

This year marks 10 years of the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition – and since its inception – 3,600 students from over 1,050 groups have participated in the programme centred around educating consumers and young people on beef production.

A total of 206 finalists have taken home Angus calves to care for, feed and rear to adulthood, learning every aspect of beef production in Ireland along the way as part of the initiative.

Some 290 Angus cattle were later brought through to slaughter, the vast majority at 20/21 months old. The competition has also encouraged many students to progress their career within the agricultural/agri-food industry.

One thing that Charles Smith, general manager of Certified Irish Angus didn’t anticipate when the project began was how big it would become.

“I never envisaged it turning into what it did,”he says. “In the beginning, we were at the Ploughing and we were looking at the people who came to visit us.

“Many of them were families. So we said, well, if we could do something that would encourage families to come and show an interest, we could harness that and make Angus the centrepiece of that interest in producing livestock.”

That’s where the idea originally came from, but it was also inspired by Charles’ own childhood. He found an appreciation for production at a young age.

“One of the oldest memories I have is my dad bringing myself and my brother to Carnaross Mart and buying us two calves. We looked after the calves for a few years when we were growing up. The day they were slaughtered, we were brought to a wholesale butchers in Malahide, and we got paid for the calves,” he says.

From that moment, Charles was drawn into agriculture.

“It was the foundation stone of my interest in farming. I thought, why don’t we replicate that among a lot of people and encourage young people the same way my dad encouraged me?”

Educational impact

Ten years after the programme started, Charles says it is more important today than it was back then.

“When we started, it was really about attracting people into having an interest in Certified Angus and producing Angus cattle, giving them an understanding of what ABP and Kepak are doing.

"Today, not only do we bring people into the business and encourage them to be farmers and to produce livestock, it’s also hugely important that we educate the consumer about where their beef comes from,” he says.

It also plays a key role in dismissing negativity around consuming beef.

“It’s about showing consumers what’s involved, how these animals are cared for, how complex it is to produce them. It is important that students understand the complexities and responsibilities of looking after cattle,” says Charles.

Another change throughout the time of the programme has been social media and the ‘fake news’ regarding beef production – for Charles it’s important people understand where their food comes from, and that they’re informed about what they eat.

To mark the celebrations, on Wednesday at the Ploughing, past participants in the programme were interviewed on stage, discussing the benefits of completing the Certified Irish Angus Schools competition.

Irish Country Living spoke to the two of the participants about their experience and what they have been up to since taking part.

Alex Kenny

“Back in 2017, a team of five of us from Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath competed in the Irish Angus Schools Competition. I found the interview experience a huge benefit when I went for my first airline job interview. Knowing how and what to prepare was a big help.

“It gave me the confidence to present in front of a panel of interviewers. As for my four teammates, they all went on to study agriculture at different levels.

“My communication and workload management developed throughout the competition. Working as a team in a different environment to a sports pitch was an eye-opener at the time, but now it’s part of my day-to-day job as an airline first officer.

“Discovering how the origin of your meat impacts the quality and nutritional value really makes people think about what they take off the shop shelf.

"Students partaking in the competition are close to moving out of home for the first time and having to feed themselves. It’s important that they can make educated decisions on what meat and general food they consume.

“Also, increasing the awareness about the quality of Irish meat is hugely important to supporting Irish farmers. The impact Clarkson’s Farm has had in the UK is a great example. The Irish agricultural industry needs more initiatives like the Certified Angus Schools Competition.”

Saidhbh Gaffney

“I attended St Joseph’s Mercy Secondary School in Navan, Co Meath and myself and my teammates entered this competition in 2017 and finished as runners-up in 2020.

“This competition can open so many doors – I can only speak from my experience, but we got to travel to Holland, be on the Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy, have stalls at local agriculture shows in Meath as well as at the Ploughing Championships and Bloom. You also get the opportunity to network with different people, who are happy to answer any questions you might have.

“You learn about the different career opportunities within the agriculture/food industry in Ireland and abroad. This can broaden your perspectives, especially deciding what you want to do after school.

“This competition gave me the confidence to believe in myself and to go to university. I was the only person in my year of the competition who didn’t come from a farming background, but I pushed through and learned from the people around me.

“I have now graduated with a BSc of Science with Human Nutrition from ATU Sligo, and currently, I am doing

an internship in Abbott Nutrition in Cootehill, Co Cavan.”

Across the three days of the Ploughing, Certified Irish Angus, ABP and Kepak have a joint stand with Angus cattle on site to encourage families, young people and students to learn about the topics and themes of this year’s finalists.

Over the next two years, five schools will take part in the programme, researching a topic of their choice.

This year’s five finalists are:

Students Holli-Mae Power Sinnott and Grace Warren from FCJ Secondary School, Bunclody, Co Wexford will be examining who to position Ireland as a global leader in sustainable beef production.

Sam Caplis, Kyle Gow and Cillian Marren from Newport College, Tipperary will be looking at sustainable farm technology.

Roisín McCauley, Celine Gacquin and Katie Ann Gacquin from Coláiste Mhuire, Ballygar, Galway will be looking at increasing consumer perceptions of the value of beef.

Jack O’Meara, Moya Guinan, Joseph McLoughney and Ben Young from St Brendan’s Community School, Co Offaly will be researching how small adjustments lead to enhancements in sustainable beef farming.

Lucy Kirby, Ciara O’Driscoll, Niamh O’Sullivan and Ellen O’Neill from Sacred Heart Secondary School, Cork will be considering how to increase awareness of the Certified Irish Angus brand.

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