Mr. Cormac Healy:

I will go back to the fact that there does not seem to be recognition that, when we came before this committee on 10 July, the situation had been very challenging in the primary meat-processing sector. There had been 22 clusters, six of them large. During the following two months, there were almost no cases in the sector. All of those existing clusters were closed as active clusters. We have now found ourselves with one again.

My view is that we will work with this programme fully. The public health guidance that has been given to us is that we should do this four-week stint to establish a picture of what is happening and to show the level of incidence. We will work with that programme just as companies have worked with local control teams. We do, however, want to see it underpinned with quick results. If the Deputy wants to link the issue with price, if there is a delay in getting results during this four-week period which leads to obstruction or disruption of production in facilities and an inability to supply markets, that could have an impact. Our aim, however, is to make sure this testing is done and that production can be maintained.