Sheep 2025 Open Day

Sheep 2025, the largest dedicated sheep-focused open day on the island of Ireland takes place on Saturday, 21^st June from 10am to 5pm at the Teagasc Mellows Campus in Athenry, Co. Galway.

The event is organised by a joint industry collaboration between Teagasc, Bord Bia, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Irish Farmers Journal, and Sheep Ireland. Irish Country Meats are again the main sponsor for this event, in addition to support from major sponsors FBD Insurance, MSD Animal Health, and Elanco.

Sheep 2025, which takes place on Saturday, 21^st June from 10am to 5pm at the Teagasc Mellows Campus in Athenry, Co. Galway, is a must-visit for anyone with an interest in sheep farming, rural life, or Irish agriculture.

A hub of innovation and education

Sheep 2025 will be a showcase of the latest technology and research driving progress in the sheep industry. Whether you’re a seasoned farmer, a new entrant to agriculture, or simply someone curious about where your food comes from, the event promises valuable insights across a wide range of topics.

A day out for the whole family

While Sheep 2025 has a strong technical and industry focus, it's also designed as a fun, engaging day out for families. From the moment you arrive at the Athenry campus, you’ll find a mix of lively demonstrations, interactive exhibits, and plenty of good food and entertainment.

Children will be well looked after with dedicated entertainment zones, while adults can explore commercial exhibits, enjoy a cooking demo from celebrity chef, or even pop into the Health Check station for a quick screening.

Sheep 2025 will provide technical information on:

• Grassland & Forages
• Breeding & Genetics
• Nutrition
• Flock Health
• Organic farming
• Hill Sheep Production
• Health & Safety displays
• Meat industry & markets
• Agricultural Education
• Environment, Water Quality and Signpost Programme
• Forestry
• Agricultural Advisory
• Handling facilities and sheep handling demonstrations
• Thematic Networks

Attractions at Sheep 2025 include:

• Commercial exhibits
• Sheep breed competitions
• Sheep breed displays
• On-site catering
• Children’s Entertainment
• Cooking Demonstrations with Neven Maguire
• Health Check with the Irish Heart Foundation
• Sheep Dog Training
• Quad Safety Demo
• Sheep Shearing demonstrations and wool displays in the Wool Village

Engage with Teagasc staff

At this year’s event visitors will be able to engage with Teagasc staff on the following areas;

• Grassland & Forages
  • Clover over sowing demonstration
  • Fencing options for better grass utilisation
  • Grass measuring demonstration
  • Companion forages and forage crops
  • Fertiliser & Soil fertility requirements for sheep farms
• Breeding & Genetics
  • Results of Teagasc Research Flocks
  • Measuring methane emissions from sheep
  • Sheep Ireland performance recording & SIS rams.
  • Breeding soundness evaluations
  • Flock replacement policies
• Nutrition
  • Research results from feeding trials
• Flock Health
  • Internal parasites of sheep
  • External parasites of sheep
  • Regional Veterinary Laboratory display
  • Lameness studies in sheep
• Organic farming
  • Meet our specialist organic advisors
  • Discuss the requirements with the organic certification bodies
  • See some organic sheep on display
  • Some preliminary results from Organic Sheep Production Trials
• Hill Sheep Production
  • Hill lamb finishing options
  • Forage Crops display
  • Maximising output on hill systems
• Health & Safety displays
  • Quad bike safety demo
  • Safe sheep handling demo
  • AgriKids
  • Trailer regulations with Gardaí
  • Health Check
• Meat industry
  • Selecting lambs for slaughter
  • Clean livestock policy discussion
• Agricultural Education
  • Careers in Sheep and the wider agricultural industry
  • Battle of the colleges sheep challenge
• Environment, Water Quality and Signpost Programme
• Forestry
  • Forest types
  • Combining trees and other enterprises
  • Support available
• Agricultural Advisory
  • Meet our staff to discuss your advisory needs
  • See the range of information outputs available from Teagasc
• Handling facilities and sheep handling demonstrations
• Thematic Networks