Cork and Mayo cows win Ashbourne Meats Limousin carcase competition

Key facts

• Ashbourne Meats held a Limousin cull cow carcase competition in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.
• Padraig Cotter from Co. Cork won the Limousin-cross class with a U+3+ graded cow weighing 539kg.
• Michael McKeown from Co. Mayo won the pedigree Limousin cow class with a U+3+ graded cow weighing 522kg.
• The competition offered a total prize fund of €2,000.
• Eligible cows received a base price of €6.60/kg for 'E' grade and €6.50/kg for 'U' grade.

Ashbourne Meats recently held a Limousin cull cow carcase competition at its processing site in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. The event, which ran from Tuesday, May 26 to Thursday, May 28, featured a total prize fund of €2,000, divided between a class for pedigree Limousin cows and a class for Limousin-cross cows. First, second, and third place winners in each category received €500, €300, and €200, respectively. Cows entered were eligible for a base price of €6.60/kg for 'E' grade and €6.50/kg for 'U' grade. In the Limousin-cross class, Padraig Cotter from Co. Cork secured first prize with a cow grading 'U+3+' and weighing 539kg. John Morrissey from Co. Tipperary took second place with a 'U=4-' graded cow weighing 483kg. The pedigree Limousin cow class was won by Michael McKeown from Co. Mayo, whose entry graded 'U+3+' and weighed 522kg. Paraic Fallon from Co. Roscommon earned both second and third prizes in this class, with his second-place entry grading 'U=4-' and weighing 573kg, and his third-place entry grading 'U+3+' with a 460kg carcase. Willie McCormack, Procurement Manager at Ashbourne Meats, praised the quality of the entries and expressed hope for a similar competition later in the year. Ashbourne Meats, which celebrated 40 years in business last year, operates two sites in Roscrea and Naas.