Ashbourne Meats hosted a cow carcass competition on Wednesday, July 2, as part of events to mark 40 years of the beef processor in business.

The competition was judged by Henri Hofman, who commented that the cows were "great weighs, great shape, and tender in the muscles".

Cows entered in the competition were making over €4,000 in cases and Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) data showed these cows had an average Commercial Beef Value (CBV) of €345, putting them in the top 20% of the population on CBV performance.

Limousin cow carcasses took first, second, and third prize in the competition on the day.

Taking first prize in the cow carcass competition was an entry from Brian Frawley from Croagh, Co. Limerick. Taking the additional €500 prize, his Limousin-cross cow graded an E-4= with a carcass weight of 584kg.

Taking second-prize was a cow from the herd of Liam Judge. Also a Limousin, this cow graded a U+4+.

In third place was a cow from the herd of Brian Campion, and this Limousin cow graded an E-4=.

A statement from Ashbourne Meats to Agriland said: "With the significant level of interest among farmers in the competition, Ashbourne Meats will keep the price of €7.50/kg for 'U' grade cows for the month of July to reward these high-grading cows.

Procurement manager at the processors' Roscrea site, Willie McCormack said he was "encouraged by the high standard of cows entered in the competition", adding that he was "delighted with the high level of farmer involvement in the competition".

In advance of the event, McCormack said: “We are looking for the all-round top cow in conformation and fat.

"Every breed will bring its own unique characteristics and I’m looking forward to seeing a large entry of top-quality cows from the top breeds in Ireland.”

Managing director of Ashbourne Meats, Peter McMahon advised clients in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium of the competition and received extremely positive feedback in advance of the event.

Danny Houlihan, CEO of Ashbourne Meats, outlined the importance of promoting and trying to maintain the status of the suckler herd.

Houlihan said: “Ireland is world-renowned for producing the best beef and we need the suckler herd influence to maintain our high standards and so, by running this competition, we hope to encourage farmers to maintain and grow their suckler herds.”