Mr. Cormac Healy:

I accept that Irish beef is an excellent, premium, grass-based product and a premium is being achieved in many markets, which feeds back into the overall price. When an animal is processed, its constituent parts go to many countries and some attract a premium. The overall return from a market dictates what is paid. The preference is usually for local produce, but we are often the second supplier. That is where the challenge lies.

In many cases, it returns a price which is above the price that prevails in many of those member states. That is a strong performance.