Daniel Mc Sweeney, Dean Garvey, Shaun OConnor and Jamie Fitzgerald.
Four students from Salesian Secondary College, Pallaskenry, said their final farewell to five Certified Irish Angus cattle. Daniel Mc Sweeney, Dean Garvey, Shaun O’Connor and Jamie Fitzgerald said their final goodbye to their four-footed friends on Sunday as it came to the end of the road for the cattle. The four students were presented with the five Certified Irish Angus calves at the 2015 National Ploughing Championships after winning the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition run by the Irish Angus Producer Group and its processing partners ABP Ireland and Kepak Group.
They were one of five Schools nationally presented with five Irish Angus calves. To coincide with rearing the calves they had to complete a project with each finalist being given a different issue to explore. The Pallaskenry students’ title was ‘Farm Safety’, a very topical issue, and a lot of work needed to be done with as farming is the most dangerous occupation in Ireland.
The Pallaskenry pupils did not waste any time, starting straight away by carrying out an in-depth survey of farmers, asking them the different safety precautions they observe while working on their own farms. There were some alarming results from this survey, which was presented at last year’s BT Young Scientist exhibition in Dublin where the students were recognised and highly commended for their scientific research. This encouraged the four to design a brief farm safety leaflet containing ten brief safety messages, which was distributed to farmers at local agricultural shows over the summer. They also targeted the younger generation with a brief presentation of simple farm safety tips that should be observed by children when on their family farms, as they believe it to be crucial that children are taught at a young age.
Whilst the four students had the full factory experience on Monday when they watched the slaughtering of their Angus cattle at ABP in Rathkeale, it was explained to them that not only does safe and properly designed handling facilities improve the safety of the farmer but also reduces spoilage of meat and improves the quality due to less stress put on the animal during handling before slaughter.
Overall this competition has been very beneficial to them as they have gained many different experiences and also helped them improve personal skills which will help them in the future. Shaun, who lives in Limerick city, said :“Overall this project has benefited me hugely as I have gained a practical experience to what the two farmers in our group Jamie and Daniel encounter on a daily basis on their family farm it is something in life that I would not have been able to get if it was not for this competition.” Dean, also a non-farmer, said: “This project showed me the risks farmers undertake to produce a basic necessity that is needed for life.”
John O’Flynn, their Agricultural Science teacher, said: “We are honoured to have been finalists in this prestigious competition run by the Irish Angus Producers group and representing our school Salesian Secondary College. The boys have gained invaluable practical experience in feeding and caring for the animals during their lunch breaks and after school hours. From a teaching point of view this competition has kept a clear focus with the students on completing their agricultural science project which is worth 25% of the final leaving certificate grade. Their hands-on experiences from feeding, moving and dosing the animals will help them complete this practical aspect of their own unique projects. It is definitely a great competition being run by the Irish Angus producers group and one that I would highly recommend other schools to get involved in. By having the animals on site it is much more interesting and topical for the students to learn about the different aspects of agriculture. The four students have worked non-stop since receiving the cattle. They have attended cattle shows, the BT Young Scientist, local marts and have given presentations to local farming groups on the importance of farm safety in today’s farming community. They have been extremely generous to their school community in donating an Irish Angus heifer to the school, which the cash value of is being raffled off before Christmas. This “paying it forward” initiative highlights the Salesian ethos of the school in helping others out. The monies raised from the raffle will be used to update the science and computer labs for the future generations.”
The four lads have now to make a final presentation to a panel of judges from Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP Ireland, Kepak Group and Tesco in Dublin where an overall winner will be announced and will receive an additional prize of €2,000 towards the student’s further education.