Young breeders will compete at FBD National Dairy Show

The finals of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association’s (IHFA) Young Members Association (YMA) showmanship league will be held at the Green Glens arena in Millstreet. The competition is scheduled for Friday, October 9, alongside the Champion and Reserve Champion Handler classes.

Competitors have spent the summer travelling to shows throughout the country. Each needed to collect 24 qualification points to reach the final, following months of participation in the league. The finalists will be judged by Scotland’s Jane Steel.

The IHFA said the handlers would be assessed on their ability to work with livestock as well as on their commitment to the competition. An IHFA spokesperson said reaching the final was “a significant achievement, reflecting a season of hard work and determination by each competitor”.

The showmanship league is being presented by the IHFA as part of its work with younger breeders. The association said the competition provides a competitive platform for young handlers and supports the development of future master breeders. The finalists will demonstrate their livestock-handling skills in front of visitors to the show.

The event is also taking place amid discussion about succession in Irish dairy farming. A survey by Opinions, commissioned by Agriland and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association, found that one in three Irish farmers planned to leave the sector within five years. Half of those farmers had not identified a successor.

In the same survey, 60% of farmers said they were afraid to raise succession with members of their families. The IHFA’s Focus Farm programme is another initiative addressing the issue, by presenting progressive family farms to a national audience. The association said the programme and the YMA competition form part of its work to develop a new generation of breeders.