Mr. Peadar Ó Scanaill:

It is not exactly the answer to the question the Deputy is asking, but it is the case that practices might refuse to continue offering equine services, for instance, or, where an individual practitioner within a practice offered a particular service but then retires, the practice might choose not to offer that service anymore. In such cases, the VCI would not insist that the practice provide X, Y or Z service. It is a concern that small farmers might have difficulties accessing a service but larger farmers would not. However, the market usually finds its own level. If people are being left behind, someone will have to provide a service. Where a large practice is dealing with larger clients, it may be able to offer better prices and it might be in its interest to take the smaller clients as well as the larger ones. That is the way the market works.