Mr. Declan Byrne:

We do not have that. If we had it and could demonstrate the results to farmers, it would represent a big sea change. The traditional choice in Wicklow is the Cheviot ewe. The tradition is significant and I am not running it down. I am just suggesting that a hardy breed may be more suited to certain hills. Perhaps the Cheviot ewe needs to be made more hardy to stay on the hill for longer. Increasingly, spring lamb production is becoming the trend but spring lamb production and hill farming do not go together.