Over the years, the FBD National Livestock Show in Tullamore has become a pinnacle event on the summer show calendar, not just in Ireland, but all across Europe. For many breeds it is the premier event, with various national breed finals taking place at the famous Butterfield Estate in Co Offaly.

Ahead of this year’s show, we spoke to John Keena, newly elected chairperson.

“This year’s show will take place on Sunday 10 August. Over 750 trade stands and over 65,000 spectators are expected to attend. Our show attracts visitors from all over the world, with judges traveling from as far as the United States and Australia in the past. Once again, we have a whopping prize fund of €175,000 up for grabs across all sections.”

Twelve breeds of cattle will be competing in 2025, with four national championships taking place, including the Charolais, Hereford, Limousin and Simmental finals.

John added: “We will also have 30 commercial classes taking place, with over 350 entries expected again this year.”

This will include the €2,000 Moyvalley Meats factory bullock class and the €2,500 Dawn Meats factory heifer class.

According to John there will be a terrific display of sheep this year: “We are expecting a record-breaking entry of sheep this year, with over 1,000 entries across 22 breeds, including the first entry of Valais Blacknose.

“We also have two new classes in the Charollais sheep section. A prime factory lamb sired by a Charollais ram and a prime butcher’s lamb sired by a Charollais ram, both classes with a prize fund of €750. This year’s show will also feature a four- or five-star multi-breed ram lamb and shearing ram class.”

Goats will also be competing for the very first time, while in the dairy section, a new breed will be in attendance, the Fleckvieh, a dual-purpose breed with the ability to produce excellent milk and solids.

A popular attraction in recent years, the sustainable livestock village is also set to expand in 2025.

“In our sustainable livestock village, we will be focusing on nature and water quality, looking at various nutrient and land management measures, while highlighting the best biodiversity management practices. A new element to our village this year will be succession and planning, securing the next generation on Irish farms,” John added.