Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will make a short comment because I have to go to the Seanad. I thank the witnesses for the presentation. The more information we convey to farmers, the better. There was a lot of fear when farmers joined the scheme, but as information became available it became more acceptable to them. I know one farmer who was very concerned and was going to withdraw from the scheme. He brought his data to me one Sunday evening and we went through it, and he found he was at 68%. All he had to do was continue.

Senator O'Neill referred to dairy herds which are of concern. My part of the country along the Border and the west produce a lot of good quality weanlings that would be exported. We do not want to lose that important market.

Do the witnesses find that milk and fertility are linked in herds? Many still hope the system will be reduced to three stars, particularly in the initial stages. A review was promised and perhaps that is being considered at the moment. The scheme could be reduced to three stars and then perhaps increased in a year or two as people become more used to it. As people were breeding bulls, in particular, it may be a bit of a problem for them to achieve five stars on the bulls they are producing.