The current cut and thrust of agri-politics in Northern Ireland was very much a talking point at Ballymena Show 2025.
The days running up to the event had seen large numbers of farmers expressing their opposition to the latest Nutrient Action Plan (NAP) proposals, unveiled in May by Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir.
Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) deputy president, John McLenaghan, spent the day at the Ballymena Show, where Agriland spoke to him about the proposed revisions to the NAP.
McLenaghan said: “NAP is all about improving water quality. And farmers across Northern Ireland totally buy into this principle.
“In fact, they have already achieved significant improvements where this matter is concerned over recent years.
“However, the current NAP proposals are unworkable. More than that, Minister Muir failed to liaise properly with all the relevant stakeholder groups prior to the commencement of the current public consultation.
According to the UFU deputy president, this is a “fundamentally flawed” approach.
“What’s required now is for the minister to go back to the drawing board and develop a set of realistic NAP proposals with all the farming bodies and stakeholder groups,” he said.
“By taking this approach, it will be possible to come up with realistic solutions that everyone can agree on.”
Ballymena Show 2025 competition classes
Beef classes
As is always the case, the show rings at Ballymena were graced by large numbers of elite dairy stock, beef cattle, and sheep.
Deerpark Shakiraenjoyed a superlative showing career as a young pedigree Limousin heifer. And it seems that she is continuing where she left off as a young cow.
She entered the show ring at this year’s Ballymena Show with her October 2024 bull calf, Shakira Viking,at foot – looking every bit the champion.
And so it turned out. Shakira won the Limousin breed championship in the morning, going on to secure the Ballymena 2025 Inter-Breed Beef championship later that afternoon. She was exhibited by Connor and Ryan Mulholland, from Co. Antrim.
Noted Simmental and Limousin breeder, Cecil McIlwaine, judged the inter-breed beef classes at the event.
McIlwaine said: “The winning animal has got everything: great length, shape, and overall beef character.
“And the fact that the young cow has a calf at foot adds to the appeal.”
But there were plenty of other high class pedigree animals taking part in the beef classes scheduled for Ballymena Show 2025.
“The Simmental champion is another exceptional young cow in the making. And the fact that she has twin calves at foot, again, adds to her appeal,” McIlwaine said.
This year’s Ballymena Simmental championship was won by Ballinalare Farm Nikita,exhibited by Alan Wilson from Newry.
Dairy classes
Meanwhile, the competition in the dairy rings was equally strong at Ballymena.
The Dairy Inter-Breed Championship was won by Stewartstown breeder, Jason Booth with his eye-catching Holsteinfourth calver: Beechview Hurricane Primrose EX93.
Jason said: “She produced 12,500L of milk in her last lactation at 5.6% butterfat and 3.4% butterfat.
“The cow calved for the fourth time last December and is due to calve again later in November.”
Primrose is homebred and continues to perform tremendously well.
Philip Jones from Co Wexford judged the dairy inter-breed classes at Ballymena Show 2025.
He described his Holstein champion as an excellent example of the Holstein breed.
“The cow has tremendous dairy character. This includes a tremendous mammary system in tandem with tremendous locomotion,” Jones said.
“The overall quality of the dairy stock entered for this year’s show was exceptional.”
Sheep at Ballymena 2025
An exceptional entry of 800 sheep took centre stage at Ballymena Show 2025.
And the man with the immense task of judging them all was Alan McCalymont, from Scotland.
At the end of a very long day’s keen competition, McCalymont selected a Charollais ewe from the flock of the Co. Armagh breeder, Glenn Baird, as his Inter-Breed Champion.
McCalymont explained: “The ewe is a tremendous example of her breed. She looked an absolute picture in the ring.”
