Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Members of the Northern Assembly were due to appear before the committee next week but owing to matters currently ongoing in the North, they have deferred doing so until December. The point has been raised at every joint Border committee meeting.

I thank members their contributions to this discussion. I come from the country which has the highest average flock. I am also a sheep farmer. Sheep production in this country comprises two categories, namely, low-land flocks, which are mainly big commercial flocks, and upland flocks, both of which have a role to play. As stated by Mr. Downey, we need to have this industry across all sectors. Deputy Penrose made the point that the industry contributes enormously to good soil and grassland management and, in particular, to the control of diseases such as ragwort. It is easy to identify a farm that has sheep because there is never any ragwort evident on it. That is a very basic, simple fact of life.

Sheepmeat, which is probably the healthiest red meat on the market, is in danger of being defined as a luxury product as opposed to a product accessible to the masses. Chicken is probably the greatest competitor of sheep, pig and other meat products.

On the points raised during today's meeting by the IFA, there is widespread support for the TAMS to include fencing. As has been stated, sheep will never stay where they are put. They must be controlled. It is important GLAS and other commonage schemes provide for sufficient numbers of people who want to produce sheep. Sheep must be part and parcel of the plan. In other words, this should form part of the incentive of having sheep in the uplands.

With regard to marketing, I have already addressed that point. On EID, I would like to float a suggestion. I agree with the proposal in relation to the two derogations. However, in my opinion, two yields should derive from EID tagging.

One advantage is that it does away with paperwork. If a farmer decides to sell animals and they are EID, the responsibility is to get feedback from the mart or whomever with a paper or electronic readout that is theirs, so they just tag them and bring them in. There should be a common sense approach to lost tags and lost animals, especially on uplands. This could form part of a genomics-type scheme to deal with TSE or scrapie. A number of animals are tested - maybe 5% per annum - and that might be agreeable to achieve scrapie-free status, especially for sires, in particular, where the target has to be.

Those are some of the ideas that should be examined in greater detail. However, the coupled payment has to be incentivised for improved animal health and production. One is not going to get it otherwise. The knowledge transfer must form part of that because we have seen the value of it. To get 4,000 out of 34,000 is a start but it is nowhere near acceptable when one considers that probably half the country's dairy farmers are part of discussion groups. That should be the ultimate target.

In the early 1980s, New Zealand had 70 million sheep but it is probably back down to half that number now. Lamb production, however, while not the same, is very nearly the same through better flock management, grassland and management skills. That was only gained by knowledge and research. A Teagasc centre of excellence in Athenry would, therefore, be crucial to developing that, along with better farm programmes.

I understand that Mr. Downey and Mr. Smith are staying and that we are moving the discussion from rom sheep to the dairy sector. I wish to thank Mr. Lynskey, Mr. Shields and Mr. Kinsella for appearing before the joint committee.

I will now suspend the meeting to allow the new witnesses to take their seats.