The Suffolk Sheep Society South of Ireland branch is holding a trimming and showing event on Sunday 25 May in Blessington Livestock Mart.

The event will kick off at 2pm, with demos running until 4pm.

The aim of the event is to bring new and existing breeders together for an informative day of pedigree sheep talk.

The first demo will be on washing a sheep in preparation for dressing, followed by a demo on trimming a Suffolk sheep for the show or sales ring.

Both the washing and trimming demos will be carried out by a master of the trade - Ian Donald from Northern Ireland.

Vet talk

This will be followed by a talk from Patrick Grant the sheep vet, an industry leader in sheep fertility. Patrick will be talking about all things sheep fertility-related, with a special focus on AI and embryo transfer.

The final talk at the event will be from Teagasc’s Dr Phillip Creighton, who will be discussing strategies to reduce parasite burdens within a flock and the correct procedure for dosing against worms.

To round up the day, there will a stock judging competition, which will be followed by light refreshments.