Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their contributions so far, which have been helpful. The real issue is that the next six months, at least, are going to be traumatic. We will have issues with confidence in the market and in the farming community itself. How those problems eventually collide will be a major issue. Returning to the issue of calf exports, how the land bridge is going to work in that regard will be a major issue as well. We must ensure these animals get to the Continent in an appropriate timeline. It is debatable, to say the least, whether we can guarantee that in the current environment.

Regarding the calf exporters, this committee did a report on this topic several years ago. We were hoping the calf exporters would have one organisation that they would all work through, but that does not seem to have happened. We must look again at having one organisation which could talk about these issues, particularly when one takes into consideration what will happen in the next six months.

I would like to hear the witnesses' opinions on whether we could have a more streamlined approach. Could the Department, the calf exporters and organisations like the ICSA and ICMSA work together for the benefit of Irish agriculture in the next six months regarding the exportation of calves? That kind of forum is very important and we need to try to push it if we possibly can.

What interaction have agrifood companies had in the past four years to try to ensure access to those beneficial markets? China has been a huge issue. In many ways we were hoping that would be one of our biggest markets but, unfortunately, it has fallen away in the past six months. Where do we need to drive the market now? Where is the game going to be for Bord Bia in the next six months to drive the product we need to get out of this country?