St Colmcille’s student Sarah wins Youth Challenge gong

St Colmcille’s student Sarah wins Youth Challenge gong

6 November 2024

A CROSSGAR pupil has won an award at the 2024 ABP Angus Youth Challenge.

Sarah Gilchrist, from St Colmcille’s High School, won the award for outstanding individual achievement at this year’s event.

The annual competition, organised by ABP and Certified Irish Angus, encourages teenagers to develop skills in farming and food production. 

Sarah was also part of a team which came third place overall in the competition.

Throughout the past year Sarah and her three team-mates have been working on a project to inform consumers about what sustainable beef farming entails. 

As well as the projects, all finalist teams had to rear their own Angus beef cattle with the support of a CAFRE mentor. 

The teams successfully finished their animals early in accordance with the Department of Agriculture’s Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme, which is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of beef farming. 

They were then able to pocket the proceeds of the sale of their animals to ABP, minus any deductions for costs incurred by the host farm.

Congratulating all the award winners at a ceremony held in the Logan Hall Balmoral Park recently, George Mullan, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland, said: “The ABP Angus Youth Challenge exemplifies how education and farming can work hand in hand to drive sustainable practices today and into the future. 

“Our award winners are an inspiration to the young people hoping to win a place on our next finalist programme. ABP and Certified Irish Angus are delighted with their achievements.”

Martin McKendry, DAERA’s Acting Head of Food and Farming Group, also emphasised the importance of the initiative: “The ABP Angus Youth Challenge is an excellent initiative which encourages young people right across Northern Ireland to learn all aspects of the agri-food supply chain including the fantastic career opportunities. When you add a competitive component to a real live learning environment then young people have the opportunity to thrive. 

“I would also like to thank CAFRE advisory staff for their mentoring support within the programme and encourage all participants to actively pursue a career in agri-food. The wide suite of education programmes available at CAFRE cater for young people leaving school either at 16 or following A-Levels and there is a direct pathway into a rewarding career.”