The ABP Angus Youth Challenge trophy for 2020 will head to Ballymena, Co. Antrim, with a trio of Schoolboys from St. Louis Grammar School winning the competition.
Conall McCafferty, Peter Graham and Thomas O’Kane represented their school in the competition.
The young Orchard County men learned of their success via a YouTube video news bulletin commissioned by the meat processor ABP and the Northern Ireland Angus Producer Group. The ability to hold a live event was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The boys entered the ABP Angus Youth Challenge in 2017 and made it on to the finalists’ skills development programme in April 2018. They then competed against three other finalist teams to become the overall winners and receive a cheque for £1,000 for their school.
As part of the competition, they reared five Aberdeen Angus cross calves through to beef; sold them to ABP for financial reward and then complete a research assignment. The boys’ theme was to demonstrate the value of family farming to drive sustainability.
Managing Director of ABP, George Mullan said, “Our first set of ABP Angus Youth Challenge award winners complete the 2018-2020 programme with a proud legacy. They have set the bar very high for those who are following in their footsteps.”
“ABP introduced this initiative to help bridge the gap between school and employment. Already we are seeing participants taking the next steps towards working in agri-food and benefitting from taking part.”
Image source: ABP Angus Youth Challenge Facebook
