Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegation for giving us a great deal of information about the background. I would like to move matters to where we are today. Numerous farmers have sheds full of cattle which have gone past the age and which cannot be got rid of. That is the big issue. What advice can those farmers be given? I understand that the mystery answer cannot be provided but these people are under severe pressure. I was speaking to a man this morning who had 200 cattle which were the right age in January. It is now almost 1 April and he is in severe trouble. Nobody wants to talk to him. He is just one farmer. There are many like him around the country who need to be facilitated in some way. What can Bord Bia do for him? Can we source other markets? These animals are only two months over the age. There is very little difference.

I would challenge anybody sitting around this table to tell the difference between a plate of meat from an animal that was 16 months old and a plate of meat from an animal that was 18 months old. It is probable that people would be unable to do so. We need to get real in this situation. I would say that the simple solution in the short term would be to get extra markets. Can the area of exporting be addressed? Can it be looked at again? Obviously, the age profile needs to be addressed.

It is a damning indictment of the whole scheme of things that a ten year old fat cull cow would probably make more money than a bull that is 16 or 18 months old. The cow that has gone through the whole system, having made a substantial amount of money for the farmer over a period of time, seems to be the prime product from a financial benefit point of view. It seems to be more valuable than bull beef, which is supposed to be a top-class product. That is how I see the whole issue. Where can we go from here? We can talk about important facts and figures, but we have to address the issue that is there at the moment. I know it is not the fault of the witnesses that we are where we are at the moment. These are the facts and figures. The fact is that farmers on the ground are in serious trouble and are looking for a help-out.