On Friday 7 March, Certified Irish Angus, along with their partners Kepak and ABP, will host the final of their Schools Competition in the Hogan Suite, Croke Park.

Five schools have made it to the final of this year’s competition. The first of those is Loreto Secondary School, Clonmel, which is represented by students Emma Carey, Katie Butler, Sophie Dennehy and Lucy Kearney.

The group explored the theme, Using Technology to raise Awareness of Health and Safety.

They researched farmers’ knowledge of health and safety and created an app to aid farmers and contractors in improving safety when hiring new staff.

The second school in this year’s final is Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan, represented by students Jack Larkin, Eoin Robinson and Shane King, who researched ways of Applying Technology to Improve Angus Cattle Breeding. They demonstrated the use of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation evaluations to further trace Angus beef.

Scoil Chríost Rí, Portlaoise, represented by students Carol Sheehy, Sinead Slevin and Jill Sheehy researched the theme Optimising Sustainable Animal Nutrition for Better Angus Beef Cattle. They focused their research on reducing carbon emissions by using a fully traceable local input supply chain.

The students also explored the opportunities for linking tillage and beef enterprises to deliver mutual benefits.

Next up is St Clare’s College, Ballyjamesduff, represented by students Ellen McCaul, Nicole Briody, Blathnaid Farrelly and Tara McCabe, who focused on the theme The Importance of Rearing Healthy Livestock as their research project. They educated farmers on the practical ways they can reduce the number of antimicrobial products used on their farms.

Finally, Villiers School, Limerick, represented by students Patrick Barry, Ben Atkinson, Simon Austin, and Seán O’Brien, explored the theme Mental Health and Well-being among Farmers, which investigated how young people think about farming and how this perception affects farmers.

The group also highlighted to farmers how rearing the Angus breed can greatly benefit them mentally and physically.