Dalriada School win Meat4Schools hamper

Pictured handing over the Meat4Schools hamper is (L-R) Hugh McGahan, ABP, Alan Wilson, ABP Linden, the winning pupils from Dalriada School, Sarah Toland, LMC education and consumer promotions manager and Jo-Anne McCay, LMC marketing placement student. Credit Chris Neely

Delicious beef and lamb dishes are on the menu for pupils at Dalriada School thanks to pupils who wowed judges to win a hamper packed full of Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured (NIFQA) beef and lamb.

Organised by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC), and kindly sponsored by ABP, the annual Meat4Schools competition invites schools to showcase their knowledge of red meat in a bid to win c.£100 of beef and lamb. The competition also aims to improve the availability of beef and lamb for pupils studying food related subjects at post-primary level.

“On behalf of LMC, I wish to congratulate the winning schools,” said LMC education and consumer promotions manager, Sarah Toland. “The calibre of entries received from schools across Northern Ireland this year was extremely high. The geographical spread of winners reinforces the reach and appeal of this educational competition.”

The 2023 entry topics encouraged pupils to share their knowledge of red meat in a creative and interactive way through the submission of a one minute video clip. It was then over to the LMC judging panel to review entries and select one winner from each Key Stage, namely, Key Stage 3, 4 and 5.

Sarah continued: “Dalriada School submitted an informative entry on the role of the Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance Scheme. Judges were impressed with both the quality of information pupils provided, and their engaging delivery.

“This competition very much complements the learning outcomes for pupils studying CCEA Nutrition and Food Science courses. We are appreciative of ABP’s continued support for the competition and for their kind sponsorship of the beef and lamb hampers.”

George Mullan, managing director of ABP in Northern Ireland said: “ABP is delighted to once again partner with LMC. Engaging with young people about the nutritional values of red meat in a balanced diet and how locally sourced beef and lamb is produced is important to us and our farmer suppliers. Meat4Schools complements our ABP Angus Youth Challenge programme, a competition for 14-15 year olds which provides hands-on experience of rearing beef sustainably from farm to fork.”

Commenting on the Meat4Schools competition, Amy Fry, teacher at Dalriada School said: “The Meat4schools competition has been a fantastic way to engage students within the curriculum and it allowed them to do something fun whilst building their knowledge.

“Students have been learning about the vital role of the Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance Scheme in regard to quality assurance and the important impact this has on food safety. The competition has also allowed us to now bring a practical element into a theory based subject at A Level.”

Concluding, Sarah said: “We are delighted that teachers and pupils feel this educational competition has supported learning outcomes. LMC has been working closely with schools for almost 25 years and hopes to continue on this path for many years to come.”

The other winning schools who were announced by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) are Clounagh Junior High School, Portadown, and Newtownhamilton High School, Newtownhamilton.