Northern Ireland dairy breeders are invited to compete in this year’s Diageo Baileys Champion Dairy Cow Competition.
The competition final will take place at the Virginia Show, Co. Cavan on 20th August and was won last year by Northern Ireland breeder, Neal Pepper from Dromore.
It is expected to attract top Holstein Friesian breeders from across the island of Ireland who will be battling it out for the Diageo Baileys Irish Champion title, accompanied by a top prize of €2,500 and a reserve prize of €1,000.
Launching the competition at the Baileys factory in Dublin recently Irish Minister of State for Agriculture Minister Tom Hayes T.D., congratulated the two sponsors on their long-standing partnership and commitment to the competition which is considered the most prestigious dairy livestock event in Ireland.
The Minister added that “with the ending of quota restrictions next year, expansion in the dairy sector in line with the targets set out in Food Harvest 2020 will result in a significant increase in employment at processing and production stages. The ensuing increase in exports will play a crucial role in Ireland’s economic recovery.”
In addition to the top prize, €1,000 will be awarded to the breeder of the Reserve Champion and €500 for Honorable Mention. There is also a Best Heifer in Milk prize fund of €1,700. 1st place attracts a prize of €500, 2nd place will be awarded €300, and €200 will go to 3rd place. In addition, €100 will be awarded to entrants from 4th to 10th place inclusively.
Trophies will be presented for Highest Protein Content, Best EBI and Best Exhibitor-Bred Cow and there is a Dry Cow fund of €500.
The special awards for Best Protein and EBI emphasise important factors in milk production.
The closing date for entries is 11th August and entry forms are available online at the Virginia Show website ; or via Holstein NI; for further details contact Brendan Smyth ++ 353 (0)87 2560952/email [email protected]. Or tweet @BaileysCow #IrishChampDairyCow2014.
Source: Farming Life