Dr. Pat Dillon:

We see databases being critical in the future. We must be aware that they are owned by Irish farmers and are for the good of Irish farmers. We have the example of the ICBF database in terms of genetic evaluation on the animal side.

An example is the ICBF database on the genetic evaluation of animals. We envisage the development of a similar database for grass cultivar evaluation. The scientific analysis suggests that grass cultivar evaluation should be done on farms, not in small manicured plots. We need to be able to develop technologies in the same way as those on the animal side, bearing in mind that grass comprises our competitive advantage and represents an area in which we can make big breaks. It is a question of developing a database to select cultivars that offer high performance under Irish systems, taking into consideration soil type, location quality and persistence. It is critical for the industry to put a purely economic value on this as there are big gains to be made. I am very positive after the discussion some days ago. We need to drive on. I have no doubt that we are only at the beginning in terms of what the databases can achieve for the industry.