Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Many questions have been asked and the witnesses have made the points that they wanted to make. The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, ICBF, will have a chance to answer them. The case that has been laid out here is quite stark. The witnesses have described the problems of breeding and the animals that are coming to mart at the beef data genomics programme.

It makes sense that we make the most of science, get the genetic data and then try to improve the quality of our beef herds. Everyone agrees on that principle. It is perplexing as the scheme is only in place a few years whereas the witnesses have been breeding for years, as have other breeding organisations. When one talks about science, one would think that there were be more commonality than difference of opinion so it is hard to understand how the witnesses express such objections to the scheme in place. I am not a scientist, and we have heard much scientific information here, however it is important that there is proper engagement between the other breeders and the ICBF and its input into the programme.

It sounds as though the breeders here had reservations from the outset when the scheme was established. How would the witnesses improve it and match what they are doing? The breeders have been going for excellence in the gene pool of Charolais to date so how would they translate what they have been doing prior to the scheme to make it more effective? The witnesses mentioned the French system and breeding elsewhere. How does it compare with those, where there might be more established data? Is the essence of the problem that we do not have enough data to advise people on the animals they should or should not acquire? There can be a guide, which is what the witnesses are suggesting, but we do not have the data because we have not been collecting it long enough.