RTE presenter of "Ear to the Ground" Darragh McCullagh officially opened the National Dairy show in Millstreet on October 18.

Hosted by the Cork Holstein Friesian Breeders Club, the National Dairy Show is a premier event on the European circuit with trade stand and visitor enquiries from Britain, France, Holland, Germany, Italy and North America.

Pictured at the National Dairy Show in Millstreet are Maura Murphy, Jenkinstown, Kilkenny, Anne Deasy, IHFA office, Tom Murphy Glanbia milk supplier,  & Carlow man Ciaran O'Shea, ABS Ireland. Photo O'Gorman Photography

Apart from the cattle, the show is a family day out with gardening, floral arrangement exhibition, local crafts and best dressed events also on the programme.

While the dairy show incorporates all aspects of dairy farming, showmanship and dairy cow classes (Holstein Friesian and Jersey) form a major part of the event, with a prize fund of €30,000 in 25 classes.

The large entry of cattle was judged by Welsh expert Ewan Morgan who owns the well-known Erie Holstein and Jersey herd in Carmarthenshire

Thousands of dairy farmers enjoyed the event in north Cork with 240 of the country’s best looking dairy cows in the show ring, competing for the Irish Examiner Supreme Championship.

 

The winner was Glaslough Miss Petra EX91 owned by David and Kenny Boyd who had brought their five-year-old cow and six other herd mates on an eight-hour road trip from their herd in north Monaghan, to win the coveted trophy in Co Cork.