Mr. Kevin Maguire:

When Euro-Star was first introduced, it was supposed to be a guide. Then some smartass came up with the idea that it would be tied up with a payment scheme, and when that happened it became compulsory to use Euro-Star. If one is in the scheme, one cannot be paid unless one uses Euro-Star. That is the big problem here. If Euro-Star was not tied into a payment scheme we could work, and we could find common ground somewhere. As Mr. Kiernan noted, we are looking at pedigree status 1 throughout this country. Our four-star and five-star bulls make big money but the quality is very poor. It will drive down the whole beef industry. Our beef is sold with customers coming from different parts of the country. Our cattle in this country are good continental cross beef which is either in the factories or the feed lots, that is where they are brought to. Is that the beef that these people buy? The next day black and whites are back in. Is this country facing another horse scandal? If we are selling our beef on the good continental cross animals it is time that there was honesty in this beef industry. If one registers a calf in Ireland, one records the sire of the calf. There is traceability of movements and so on but we never put down the dam. People go into restaurants and buy beef described as Angus beef, but it not, it is half Angus beef. We have to get honesty back into this country and the beef industry. We have a super quality beef that is recognised worldwide. No matter where one goes, Irish beef is recognised but we will run it into the ground unless something is done about this.