Mr. Hugh Farrell:

I have seen various cases recently. It may be for the Department to step up a gear with regard to biosecurity. It is always on to farmers about biosecurity, but it does not move fast enough to deal with big or new breakdowns and lets the problem lie. There can be a break of one or two months after a herd is tested and found to be clear, but the Department does not go back and use the history of the farm to depopulate it. Is this led by cost control issues, rather than by the need for eradication? We need to be very strong on this issue. If the Department was prepared to spend more initially, instances similar to what happened in counties Monaghan and Cavan and others could be controlled. A herd of 42 may leave a farmer's yard from which perhaps other cattle should also be taken, but the Department is reluctant to take them. That is a question with regard to what is achievable by 2030. Perhaps biosecurity standards might change the programme.