Minister welcomes Kildalton Students to Stormont

Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew MP, MLA welcomed agricultural students from Kildalton College, Piltown, Co Kilkenny, to Stormont this week.

Hosting a tour of Parliament Buildings, the Minister greeted students taking part in an exchange programme between Kildalton and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE).

The programme provides students from the colleges with a one week placement during which they attend workshops, carry out milking duties in dairy units and visit commercial farms.

Speaking to the students, the Minister said: “This innovative exchange programme is becoming established in both CAFRE and Kildalton College. It shows a commitment to fostering strong industry and educational links between agriculture students in Ireland.”

Highlighting the benefits of the programme and how learning can be transferred, the Minister continued: “Bringing these young people together gives them an opportunity to share experiences, gain new insights and stimulate ideas that could be applied on their home farm. It is also a great opportunity to network and make important contacts and new friends that may help in their future careers.

“I appreciate the work involved in managing the programme and extend my thanks to CAFRE and Kildalton staff, the farmers who welcomed the students on to their farms and to the Ulster Farmers Union for their on-going support for the exchange programme."

Notes to editors:

1. 15 CAFRE Higher National Diploma and Higher National Certificate in Agriculture students and 18 Certificate in Agriculture students from Kildalton College have changed places for a week.
2. Kildalton College is a Teagasc college located in County Kilkenny. Teagasc is the agriculture and food development authority in Ireland.
3. The Certificate in Agriculture course at Kildalton is a level 5 course, broadly equivalent to the Higher National Diploma in Agriculture at CAFRE.
4. There are two dairy enterprises at Greenmount – the CREAM unit and the Future herd. The CREAM unit comprises 35 high genetic value dairy cattle, each capable of producing 10,000 litres per year. The Future Herd comprises 150 cows and both units demonstrate best practice in dairy production.
5. The CREAM unit is a Student Learning Project (SLP) managed by higher education students. CAFRE operates three other agricultural SLPs in which students are expected to take a 'hands-on' approach to the management of each project. These are based on arable production, hill farming and beef production enterprises.
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