Mr. Trevor Donnellan:

I will put it this way. Being a beef farmer is more compatible with having a full-time off-farm job than being a sheep farmer. Sheep farming is particularly demanding in respect of labour at particular times of the year, especially at lambing time, and that is a consideration.

On reducing the herd by 500,000, Deputy Pringle did not clarify which herd he was talking about. If it is the breeding herd, looking at scenario six from the chart, that involves a significant reduction in the size of the suckler herd, which is the less profitable part of cattle production in Ireland.

It would involve the lowest future level of cattle. I will display on the screen the corresponding data with respect to emissions before the mitigation option is factored in. As the dairy sector continues to expand, the smaller the suckler herd, the fewer total emissions from agriculture in general. This is a contentious issue because although beef production is not particularly profitable, there has not been a significant exodus from suckler production. The number of suckler cows has fallen by approximately 8% over the past three or four years but the figure is higher than we expected five or ten years ago.

On engagement, when I started working for Teagasc more than 20 years ago, evidence-based policymaking did not have the same foothold it currently does. That probably holds true across Government. Much of my background and training in terms of my work is derived from the US and the way economists engage with policymakers there. It has been relatively successful in the sense that we have significant engagement with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on issues it is unable to answer from an analytical perspective. We provide that input to the Department.