Salesian Secondary College Pallaskenry students are finalists in the Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition. As part of the competition, the students had 18 months to complete a project on the theme of farm safety, coinciding with the rearing of five Angus cattle that were presented to them at the 2015 National Ploughing Championships.

While farming only amounts to 5% of the workforce in Ireland, it contributes to 30% of workplace deaths – a statistic the four boys described as startling. They discussed the need for further education surrounding farm safety with Minister Creed, and highlighted its importance among young people destined to be the future farmers of Ireland.

As part of their project, the Salesian students investigated the safer merits of the Angus breed – noting that time was saved during the busy spring period on farms, as Angus cattle are naturally polled animals and do not require dehorning. They also found that there is a strong link to safety and modern handling facilities, not only in preventing farm accidents, but also improving the meat quality for the consumer and the killout weight – which would financially benefit the farmer. They linked this to animals using up glycogen when under stress, which reduces the amount of lactic acid produced when slaughtered and increases the pH.

The final part of the project will involve a presentation to a panel in early January and the overall winner will be announced at Croke Park on 15 March 2017, taking home an additional €2,000.

Read more

Listen: Farm succession key to farm safety challenge

Full coverage: farm safety