DUBLIN is to host this year's World Steak Challenge finals.

The competition's organisers announced this week that the event would break with its established pattern by moving out of London and extending over two days of judging and presentations, July 9 and 10.

The change of location to Ireland follows the confirmation of Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, as official host partner for the 2019 challenge.

Now in its fifth year, the World Steak Challenge is designed to benchmark the quality of beef production against international competitors. There will be Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded to rib eye, fillet steak and sirloins. Then from the winners in each of those categories, only one steak will achieve the prestigious status of World’s Best Steak 2019.

Entries in last year’s Challenge were received from a record 22 countries spanning four continents and featured 35 different breeds of cattle. The 2018 champion was a grass-fed Ayrshire produced by JN Meat International of Denmark. The steak, which was reared by Atria Finland in Finland, won Best Grass Fed and Best Sirloin medals in the annual challenge.

In previous years, the supreme championship title has gone to ABP Poland, the Polish division of ABP Food Group (2017) and the Australian cattle ranch Jack’s Creek, entered by Albers GMBH which has won twice (2016 and 2015).