Irish Angus
A group of Agricultural Science students from Mary Immaculate Secondary School, Lisdoonvarna visited leading retailers in Ireland and Holland to learn about the marketing and export of Certified Irish Angus beef.
Amy Woods, Katie Thomas and Séamus MacNamara, who are participating in the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition, first visited the headquarters of leading retailers Tesco Ireland to get some valuable tips of the trade before heading to Albert Heijn in Holland. They made a presentation on their project to head office staff of Tesco in Dunlaoighre Dublin and Albert Heijn in Amsterdam. Their presentation included the tradition of cattle farming in the Burren region, the tradition of winteraging and the sustainability of Irish Angus cattle in this unique part of Clare and Ireland.
The study trip, organised by Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP and Kepak began with the visit to Tesco Ireland in Dublin. The group then boarded a flight to The Netherlands where they visited Albert Heijn, the Dutch supermarket chain who is aa leading importer of Irish beef.
The Lisdoonvarna triumvirate were selected by a panel of industry judges to rear six Irish Angus Cross calves up until their slaughter in 2020. The calves are presently thriving on the winterage lands of the Rodger and Lorraine Woods Ballyvaughan.
The students were tutored by their Agricultural Science teacher John Sims.
Charles Smith, General Manager, Irish Angus Producer Group said " .... this study trip provides Amy, Katie ( Katie Thomas) and Séamus (Seamus MacNamara) with the opportunity to meet some of the top retailers in Europe and to gain insights into the selection process of high-quality beef for their consumers."
"At Tesco Ireland they learned about what it takes for a product to become one of the exclusive Tesco Finest brands."
Principal John O'Loughlin, thanked teacher John Sims for mentoring the students, congratulated the students on being finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition and wished them well in the rearing of the calves and in the remainder of the competition. If this trio are successful in winning the competion outright they will received €2,000 towards their further education. Well done guys. You did yourselves, your parents, your school and teachers proud.