Mr. Philip Carroll:

In the very early stages of the outbreak, when economies started to shut down, the very significant proportion of the output which would normally be destined for the food sector began to decline. This was because a large proportion of the restaurant and food service outlet sector across the globe - it must be remembered that we export right across the globe - completely shut down. The vast majority of what we produce, 90%, goes to EU and other international markets. This shutdown led to a period during which there was a substantially lower level of output. Subsequently, as the shutdown bit down hard right across the world, there was a growth in retail demand for meat products. That stabilised the production base at a higher level.