Mr. John Bryan:

I am explaining to the Deputy that they regard it as a domestic market. However, there is something else going on at the moment which they know. More than 70,000 cattle from the Republic of Ireland went to the North. Someone asked the question about nomad cattle which became Northern Ireland cattle. Northern Ireland cattle go to Scotland because they can get the red tractor. There is a deficit of cattle in Scotland and England. They can ship cattle from Northern Ireland and get the red tractor. Our cattle cannot get the red tractor. Deputy Naughten asked the question in great detail. Ireland is one of the countries lobbying for clear traceability. Yesterday, I held a press conference in which we complained about foreign pork becoming Irish. We are very clear about it and are saying born, reared and slaughtered in Ireland. Those nomad cattle exist in Ireland at the moment.

There was a very big market for calves last year and 20,000 to 30,000 UK calves came in. They are finding it very hard to find homes at the moment because they cannot get quality assurance. The rules are the same - born, reared and slaughtered in England or in Ireland. Approximately, 70,000 Irish live animals go to Northern Ireland, which some people call the UK. Some 250,000 lambs come from the North to the South.

I mention the amount of milk that comes from the North. The expansion that took place in milk in the North over the past ten years could not have taken place without the Republic of Ireland. What happened was that they had no quota and they expanded. They had no no processing facilities, so that milk goes to Monaghan, Connacht Gold, Glanbia and Virginia. The Deputy referred to the inter-relationship. We are totally intertwined. Cattle go up to the North and sheep and milk come down to the South. The trouble is that we cannot get the red tractor when we sell in England. I have sat down with the retailers. If one goes to the south of Italy, there are local cattle or to the Limousin area of France, there are local products.

There is a big row between Canada and the US over COOL, which is the American labelling system. Canadian beef sells at a huge discount in America. Every country in the developed world pays a premium for its own product. Ireland is a big exporter and exports 90% of our beef and 85% of our dairy. We are at a slight disadvantage and that is why we put such investment into Origin Green and quality assurance and having the same standards as the UK. Deputy Flanagan asked a few questions, which only Aidan Cotter of Bord Bia could answer. I could not answer for him.

Our last contact with TLT was when we sat down with the people there and they told us they had no money. We have made a couple of telephone calls, which have not been returned.