SETU have been announced as the winners of the 9th Annual Great Agri-Food debate, organised by Dawn Meats and co-sponsored by McDonald’s.
The team from SETU (South East Technological University) secured the win by defeating Antrim-based CAFRE (College of Agriculture Food & Rural Enterprise) in what the judges described as a tightly contested Grand Final.
SETU were declared the winners having successfully opposed the motion that: “People believe social media influencers more than scientific fact about red meat consumption.”
The team from SETU included Ellen Feery, Brittany Davis, Edward Hatton, Alisha Flynn, Saoirse Cassidy and Emma Doherty, the team captain.
In defeating CAFRE in the Grand Final, SETU made it four wins a row following successes in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
The semi-finals and the Grand Final of this year’s competition were held in-person on Thursday 28th November, on the winner’s home turf at the SETU Arena in Waterford.
Emma Forbes of CAFRE won the Best Speaker award in the Grand Final. Her fellow team members were team captain Victoria Morrison, Anna Jackson, Molly Cunningham, Caitriona O’Kane and Louise Weir.
The Great Agri-Food Debate provides an opportunity for agriculture students from colleges and universities in Ireland and the UK to compete by debating topical issues relevant to the agri-food sector.
The Grand Final was judged by Niall Browne, Chief Executive of Dawn Meats, John Byrne, Franchisee at McDonald’s, and John Murray, Director of Meat, Food and Beverages at Bord Bia. Jack Kennedy, Editor of the Irish Farmers Journal, moderated the Grand Final.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
